Srinagar, Aug 14: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Monday said that the traditional J&K politicians left the people at the mercy of circumstances after the August 5, 2019 occurrences. He said it was only the Apni Party that took the initiative to engage with the Central government “to get relief for our people and protect their rights”.
Bukhari, as per a statement issued here, was addressing an event at the party headquarters here. This event was organised to welcome Late Qazi Mohammad Afzal’s son, Qazi Umar Farooq, and his associates into the Apni Party, the statement said. Late Qazi represented the Ganderbal constituency in the legislative assembly from 2002 to 2008, defeating the National Conference’s then-chief ministerial candidate Omar Abdullah.
Extending greetings to the new entrants, Altaf Bukhari expressed his optimism about Qazi Farooq’s potential to become a prominent figure in Ganderbal, following in the footsteps of his father, and gathering substantial public support in the days to come.
Addressing the gathering, Bukhari explained how and why the Apni Party was established in March 2020. He said, “Following the events of August 5, 2019, when we witnessed people grappling with helplessness and uncertainty about their future, we decided to shoulder the responsibility of standing by our people during those trying times.”
He added, “Subsequent to the events of August 5, 2019, when the entire Jammu and Kashmir region was engulfed in turmoil and distress, the traditional politicians hid themselves and chose to remain silent. They remained silent for about one and a half years following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. However, the Apni Party took the proactive step of engaging with leaders in Delhi. Through our efforts, we succeeded in convincing the central government to provide an assurance that no demographic changes would be made here and that the people of J&K would continue to have their special rights regarding jobs and agricultural land in J&K.”
