Mohinder Wazir

Jammu, Feb 19 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday said that strong efforts have been made by delimitation commission to create a regional and communal divide between two regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference at Jammu, Bukhari said that the purpose of delimitation should have been empowerment and representation of people, however, after going through the report it seems that it is an exercise of disempowerment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. 

“Delimitation commission has succeeded in disempowering the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The strange thing is that now voters have to take flying taxis to go for voting to far off areas of 21 kms from their vicinity,” he said

He said that he calls upon five parliament members who were representing J&K in parliament that they should resign as they have failed to represent the of people of J&K.

“Delimitation report is against interests of people and no party is above the people. The interest of people is supreme. The exercise was supposed to take place in 2026 in entire the country, but I don’t know why this exercise has been conducted on immediate basis in J&K,” he said.

He said that J&K was deprived of its special status on August 5th 2019, but when it came to delimitation, the UT was granted special permission to carry out delimitation.

He also said that everyone in Jammu and Kashmir whether a youth, common man or a shopkeeper, is being harassed and intimidated.

“The people of J&K belong to that region who has sacrificed a lot for this country. The meaning of sacrifice should be asked to the people of Poonch, Rajouri, Karnah, Uri, Gurez as some areas have been withdrawn by the delimitation in such a manner as if they didn’t ever existed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bukhari also urged the administration to allow prayers at Jamia masjid Srinagar as this is the fundamental right of every citizen to follow their religious practices. (KNS)