Irfan A Mir

Srinagar, Dec 15 (KNS):
Apni Party President Syed Altaf Bukhari Tuesday asserted that massive participation of people in ongoing District Development Council (DDC) polls have changed the Kashmir narrative and it has become evident that elections and Kashmir issue are two separate poles.

Bukhari, who was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a maiden rally in Sher-e-Kashmir Park here in Srinagar said that people's enmass participation in ongoing DDC polls has changed the traditional Kashmir narrative and people have made it clear that elections and Kashmir issue are two separate poles.

Bukhari who had been a cabinet minister in PDP-BJP combine in recent past said that JKAP is trying to take all sections of sociey into confidence for ensuring grassroots level development in Jammu and Kashmir. "Today you can see transporters, traders, hoteliers, houseboat owners and other sections of the society participated in our rally which is a clear message that people doesn't want divisive and deciet politics which they bore during last 70 years".

Without naming anybody, Bukhari said that few political parties tried to hoodwink common masses amidst ongoing DDC polls but people have understand their designs and subsquently the worth of ballot. "The electorates across J&K are politically mature. They know who are their well-wishers? They have changed the traditional narrative of Kashmir issue while participating in ongoing DDC polls massively and came to know elections and Kashmir issue are two separate poles", Bukhari said.

Hitting hard to regional political parties, the JKAP President said that not only BJP but regional mainstream political parties who ruled over J&K for decades are equally responsible for "political uncertainty" in Jammu and Kashmir. "I blame BJP equally as Congress, NC, PDP and others for the “political uncertainty in Kashmir", he said.

Bukhari said that Apni Party is 9-month old as it was constituted in March this year. “We are like a 9-month old baby. One should expect from us what he is going to expect from a 9-month old baby. We are not claiming we will sweep DDC polls but we will try to represent the wishes of our people instead of befooling them", he said.

Bukhari who is being called as "B-team" of BJP by regional politicians said the JKAP will participate in delimitation process and ensure no justice is done to people of J&K. He added my party will be the first one to raise voice against the commission if share of any region or district will be grabbed during the process. (KNS)