PM Modi assures Altaf Bukhari's Apni Party of statehood for Jammu & Kashmir at earliest

PM Modi assured the recently formed Apni Party delegation that Centre will work towards giving statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at earliest. During the course of the interactive session with the 24-member delegation led by Altaf Bukhari, the Prime Minister engaged with the delegation on various issues like concerns on demographic changes, delimitation exercise, and grant of state domicile. The delegation thanked PM Modi for his 'unstinted' support and 'untiring' efforts towards the development of Jammu and Kashmir. They also appreciated the efforts of the government, security agencies and the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards maintaining peace and security in the region.

"Prime Minister engaged with the delegation on various issues like concerns on demographic changes, delimitation exercise, and grant of state domicile. Referring to his statement in Parliament, Prime Minister underlined that the Government will work with all sections of the population to realize the hopes of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at an early opportunity," according to a release by the PMO on Saturday.

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Speaking on youth empowerment, Prime Minister Modi said: "Youth should act as catalytic agents for the development of Jammu and Kashmir." He highlighted the importance of skill development and creating new employment opportunities for the youth to bring in an overall transformation of Jammu and Kashmir.

Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari noted that August 5, 2019, when the decision to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35-A was taken, was a watershed moment in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier after the meeting at Lok Kalyan Marg, Bukhari on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's heart beats for the people of J-K and he understands what the people of the Union Territory aspire for.

"The PM said no demographic change will be done. He is a man of commitment. His heart beats for people of Jammu and Kashmir," Bukhari told ANI. "He understands what the people of Jammu and Kashmir want. He appreciated when we said that we want the same laws as the rest of the country," added Bukhari. Aiming to provide relief to the people "facing challenges since August 5 last year," Bukhari, formerly with the People's Democratic Party (PDP), launched his own party on March 8, which is also the International Women's Day.

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J&K Apni party

Altaf Bukhari-led new political outfit named ‘Apni Party’ consists of senior political leaders, academics, legal luminaries, activists, and like-minded people. Former legislators Vijay Bakaya, Usman Majid, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Javed Beg, Dilawar Mir, Zaffar Manhas, Noor Muhammad, Abdul Rahim Rather, Abdul Majid Paddar, Gagan Bhagat, Manjeet Singh and ten senior leaders of the Congress party quit the grand old party to join the new front. the total strength of the party is 40 leaders including Bukhari and will soon meet PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to demand the restoration of statehood and domicile rights.

• Office bearers including Chief Patron, President, Vice Presidents, General Secretary, Chief Spokespersons, provincial presidents, treasurer, secretaries
• A 15-member Political Affairs Committee nominated by the party president and Chief patron
• Central Executive Committee of not more than 40 members
• General Council comprising of Assembly constituency heads, district presidents and CEC members
• Subordinate committees at the provincial, district, zonal, block, panchayat, and wards
• Frontal organisations for women, youth, students, farmers, and ethnic groups.

(With PTI inputs) 

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