Jammu , July 18(KNS): Apni Party President, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, on Tuesday, stressed on the importance of unity among the people of J&K, regardless of their caste, creed, regional or geographical backgrounds, religious beliefs, or political ideologies, in order to attain the rights guaranteed to them by the constitution of the country.

He was speaking at a party event organised by the party's Other Backward Class (OBC) wing in Jammu today. During the event, several youths from the OBC joined Apni Party in the presence of party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari and Provincial President Manjit Singh.

Speaking at the occasion, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari reaffirmed his position on the rights of Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and other marginalised communities, and said, "Apni Party strongly supports the legitimate demands of these marginalised sections, including the implementation of a 27% reservation for OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir."

He suggested that August 5 would be an appropriate day to highlight the 27% reservation for OBCs, as the central government claims that on this day in 2019, a way was paved for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be on par with the people in the rest of the country. He said, "At this moment, let us not discuss how J&K's political rights were snatched on August 5, 2019. Instead, we would demand that if the actions of August 5 were meant to liberate the people of J&K and pave the way for their enduring development, as the government claims, then let the people of the UT have the same rights that people in the rest of the country have. The 27% reservation for the OBCs also falls into this category."

"If OBCs across the country have 27% reservation in government jobs and higher educational institutes, then how can people from the same category in J&K be deprived of this reservation?" he asked.

Emphasising the unity of the people across Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said, "We, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of our caste, creed, political ideologies, or regional and religious identities, must come together to attain the social, economic, and political rights guaranteed to us by the constitution of the country." He added, "Apni Party is exceptional in terms of having its footprint equally in all the regions and sub-regions across the Union Territory (UT). This party unites people on a common agenda, which is striving for the social, economic, and political empowerment of the people of this region."

He appealed to everyone to unite for the protection of constitutional rights. He said, "We ought to be aware of the rights that we are eligible for according to the constitution. We must also have the courage and will to raise our voices unanimously to attain these rights. This is not the time to dwell on differences of caste, creed, regional or subregional identities, religious beliefs, or political ideologies. Instead, this is the time for complete unity to safeguard our social, economic, and political rights."

"We are human beings belonging to this land. Our religious, ethnic, and geographical identities are secondary. Thus, we must focus on raising our standard of living, as we all equally desire a dignified life. The secondary differences can be sorted out later."

Besides Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari and Manjit Singh, the prominent party leaders present on the occasion included Provincial Vice President and former MLA Faqir Nath, Provincial Vice President and former legislator Prem Lal, Provincial President of the party's SC Wing Lovely Mangol, District President Samba Raman Thapa, State Vice President of the party's Youth Wing Raqeeq Ahmed, Provincial President for the Youth Wing Vipul Bali, District President of the party's Legal Wing Sahil Bharti, District President of SC Wing Puran Chand Rahi, and others.

The programme was organised by the State President of the party's SC Wing, Bodh Raj Bhagat, and the State President of the OBC Wing, Bhagat Ram.(KNS).