Misleading political narratives and emotional slogans rendered J&K people in darkness for decades: Ghulam Hassan Mir

Apni Party holds convention at Reshnagri in south Kashmir’s Shopian

Srinagar, June 11 (KNS): Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said on Sunday that Jammu and Kashmir is destined to remain a part of India, and New Delhi holds the resources and capacity to resolve the problems and challenges the J&K is facing, especially post August 5, 2019.

Bukhari made these comments while addressing a massive party convention at Reshnagri in south Kashmir’s Shopian district today.

Besides Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, the party stalwarts who also addressed the gathering included the party’s senior vice president, Ghulam Hassan Mir, vice president, Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, party chief coordinator, Abdul Majeed Padder, and others.

According to a press release issued here, in his speech, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari promised people that the Apni Party would ensure ideal solutions to the issues that farmers and orchardists in J&K are facing.

He said, "Given my personal experience in the farming and orchard cultivation business, I understand your problems better than anyone else. I am also aware that fruit growers in this region are facing a scarcity of adequate cold storage facilities.”

Demanding an inquiry into the reasons behind the violation of norms regarding the provision of cold storage facilities in Shopian, he said, “The previous governments allotted and allowed establishing of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage to benefit certain individuals with political connections. And, now these CA storage owners are exploiting the vulnerable growers by imposing unfair conditions on them.  Apni party demands an inquiry to uncover the criteria followed for these allocations and to understand why disadvantaged orchardists are being subjected to unjust treatment. Since these CA storages have been established under the Govt supervision and with the assistance of subsidized schemes from the Union Government, it is important to identify individuals who are violating the criteria for the dispassionate facility to the growers.”

“These CA storages have become advantageous only for the privileged people, while as poor farmers are subjected to sufferings.” He added.

He further said, “I give you my assurance that we will bring about a positive transformation in our agriculture and horticulture sectors, aligning them with the necessary requirements and demands and elevating their standards."

"Once our party is elected, we will officially designate horticulture as an industry. Also, we will be establishing 'Apple Villages' in Shopian and other suitable locations to harness and nurture the natural potential in the horticulture sector." He added.

 Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari urged people not to fall prey to the emotional slogans or unattainable goals that are used by the traditional political parties and their leaders solely for their own political gains.

He said, "While fighting against the country, we have tragically lost thousands of our youngsters either to jails or graveyards so far. We cannot bear the burden of further deaths and destruction on this land because the future of our youth and generations to come is at stake. Therefore, we must be brutally honest with ourselves, stop following unattainable goals, and not be swayed by emotional slogans anymore."

While saying this, he promised that Apni Party will ensure the solutions to J&K’s problems come from New Delhi, as despite being the problem creators, it also holds the key to viable solutions.

He said, "The solutions to our problems, created by the centre, lie with the centre." And, I promise you that if the Apni Party receives the mandate to form the next government, we will ensure that New Delhi addresses all these issues to our utmost satisfaction. Everything that is required for Jammu and Kashmir’s prosperity and development would come from the centre."

Lashing out at those engaged in a defamatory campaign against Apni Party, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said, "Imagine a leader who, despite his own sister appearing as a witness advocating for the execution of a separatist leader, now accuses the Apni Party of being a party of ‘Ikhwanis’. These so-called leaders must be ashamed of themselves for orchestrating such a malicious campaign against Apni Party. Do they think that people have forgotten the crimes that they committed while they were at the helm of affairs in J&K? They must know that they stand exposed in front of people, as the people have faced the brunt of their ruthlessness."

While on his way to the convention venue, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari met with Insha Mushtaq, who tragically lost her vision due to pellet gun injuries during the 2016 agitation, and congratulated her for passing the class 12th board examination remarkably. He assured Insha of his full support and necessary assistance for her future education.

On this occasion, Ghulam Hassan Mir, while addressing the convention, emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir requires sustained peace for its enduring prosperity and development.

He said, "Unfortunately, the traditional political parties have consistently engaged our younger generations with deceptive slogans like 'Rai Shumari', 'Autonomy,' 'Self-rule,' and similar rhetoric for several decades. As a result, we lost sight of crucial matters such as employment opportunities, well-being, prosperity, and overall development. Today, Jammu and Kashmir lag far behind the rest of the world. In fact, our traditional politicians, driven by their own vested interests, have left us in a state of darkness, and our youth now bear the burden of this political gimmickry."

Taking a dig at the parties like NC and PDP, Ghulam Hassan Mir said, "Earlier, these parties would seek votes from the people by saying that they would safeguard Article 370 and 35A in the parliament, now that these articles have been lost, they are trying to convince people that if they will vote for them again, then they will get the abrogated articles back. This is a blatant act of deceit towards the people. They are attempting to deceive innocent individuals and undermine their intelligence." Mir urged people not to be caught in the trap of deceptive and fake promises by these traditional parties and their leaders anymore.

Addressing the convention, Zaffar Iqbal advised people to prioritise the education of their children. He said, "One of the key reasons for our miseries is that we are not educated enough to recognise the truth and the facts on the ground.  We let political leaders mislead us and exploit our ignorance and innocence in the past, resulting in significant suffering. But, we must now exercise extreme caution and prioritise the education of our children, enabling them to lead better lives and make informed decisions."

Manhas also stressed maintaining peace and harmony so that by maintaining a peaceful environment, people can unlock the potential for progress and ensure the well-being of their communities.

 He said, "Violence and uncertainty do not suit us. These things have ruined the lives of the people. We truly need sustained peace, which will create a conducive environment for growth, stability, and the overall well-being of people."

He promised that Apni Party, after getting the public mandate in the upcoming elections, would ensure the security forces camps were removed from residential areas. However, he urged people to contribute to creating a peaceful environment so that there would be no need for the presence of security forces in the area.

Abdul Majeed Padder urged people not to repeat mistakes while choosing their representatives in the future. He said, "We have been committing mistakes while giving our mandates to so-called leaders in the past. These leaders, after attaining power, prioritised their own wealth accumulation instead of uplifting the common people, rendering this region underdeveloped and in poverty."

Besides Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, and Abdul Majeed Padder, the prominent party leaders who were present on the occasion included Spokesperson and General Secretary of Party’s Youth Wing and the Chairman DDC Shopian Irfan Manhas, District Vice President Shopian Gowhar Ahmad Wani, District Youth President Shopian Suhail Rather, District Secretary Shopian Tanveer Tak,  Faheem, Party’s Zonal President and DDC keller Choudhary Fazil Din, District Vice President Shopian and DDC Kamiulla Tahir Ahmad Mir, District Vice President Shopian Haji Mohammad Asan, District Orginiser Manzoor Bashir, Zonal Coordinator Shopian Shabir Dedad, Zonal President Wachi Zainapora Rasheed Lone, District Coordinator Zakir Hussain, Haji Abdul Majeed, Choudhary Nazir, Mubarak Ahmed, Furkan Ahmad, Mudasir Ahmad, Abdul Qayoom Dar, Muzzafar Ahmad Hajam, Aadil Thoker, Aijaz Mantoo, Abdul Hameed Palle, and others.(KNS)