Srinagar, October 19:(KNS) Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Monday said that people of Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford any further delay in restoration of Statehood. He said that an early restoration of Statehood alone can guarantee the residents of J&K their right to self-governance.

Welcoming the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that the centre will not take long to restore Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari observed that this decision is no longer about a political party or any leader but about the democratic rights and political aspirations of the people of J&K.

“While I welcome the union home minister’s statement, I would like to remind the union government not to keep this critical issue in political limbo for a long time in view of the sufferings of residents of J&K and the undeniable governance chaos,” Bukhari remarked.

He said the sooner the union government fulfils its commitment on re-establishing the Statehood in J&K, the better it would be for the country to ensure peace and development in this troubled region. “The solution to multifarious problems faced by the people of J&K on a day-to-day basis and to promote its integrated and all-round development lies in restoration of Statehood with comprehensive domicile laws protecting the rights of its residents on their land and jobs,” Bukhari opined.

Bukhari also censured the J&K government for sidelining the local officers of repute in the J&K bureaucracy terming it unacceptable. “Cornering the local officers in J&K administration is a highly deplorable move which smacks of some nefarious designs of some vested interest groups within the J&K government,” he observed.

The Apni Party president solicited the intervention of the union home minister towards this grave issue which has created a lot of disenchantment among the local officers who are well versed with the problems of the people and have until now contributed immensely in all the sectors of governance. (KNS)