Srinagar, July 29 (UNI) Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday said the rights Jammu and Kashmir lost on August 5, 2019, could not be restored through protests or confrontation, but only through dialogue, consultation and a clearly defined roadmap.
He also said that Apni Party would always support any party that raises genuine demands such as the restoration of statehood, Articles 370 and 35A, the release of prisoners, the creation of job opportunities, and other pressing public issues..
“August 5 is a dark day for Jammu and Kashmir, and it will remain a dark day until our rights are restored.” Bukhari told reporters in Srinagar. “ However, the restoration of these rights should be pursued through dialogue, consultation, and a well-defined roadmap.”
He said that the government of India must talk with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in order to address their genuine demands and grievances and to bridge the existing trust deficit.
The Apni Party comprising mostly legislators and former ministers was founded in March 2020, eight months after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
Reacting to PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks at Jantar Mantar and her subsequent apology, Bukhari said the matter should end there as she had apologised for her comments.
Replying to a question, Apni Party president said the BJP had mobilised Hindu voters in the Jammu region in the name of religion during the 2024 Assembly elections, but added that “it appears a dominant majority of Hindus in Jammu now realise that such politics is harmful to the larger interests of Jammu and Kashmir.”
