Srinagar: Former Cabinet Minister and Apni Party’s Senior Vice President, Ghulam Hassan Mir, on Friday urged the Union Government to initiate confidence-building measures (CBMs) and engage with the youth in Jammu and Kashmir in order to address the issues and grievances of the people. He was addressing a party convention in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
Prominent party leaders, including Vice President Javaid Mustafa Mir and Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir, also addressed the convention.
Ghulam Hassan Mir said, “It is imperative that the GoI engages with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and initiate required CBMs to address the issues and grievances of the people.”
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered immensely, both in terms of human and material losses, over the past three decades due to violence and bloodshed in the region. Now, as a sense of normalcy begins to return, people are still facing a range of issues that require the Centre’s intervention and attention to be resolved. I urge the Union Government to initiate the necessary confidence-building measures (CBMs) and actively engage with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Mir criticised the traditional political parties, particularly the ruling National Conference (NC), for what he described as their continued efforts to undermine grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “The traditional political parties, such as the ruling National Conference (NC), have never allowed grassroots democracy—a three-tier system of local self-governance to flourish in Jammu and Kashmir. Instead, the NC has always tried to suppress democratic values and strengthen dynastic rule here.”
According to a press release issued here, while addressing the workers’ convention, Ghulam Hassan Mir said that “the three-tier system is the only system that ensures democracy thrives from the bottom to the top. This system operates at the village, block, and district levels, empowering people at the grassroots level to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives.”
However, he added that “unfortunately, even though nine months have passed since the NC formed the government, it has not once spoken about the need to hold the long-pending local body and panchayat elections.”
He went on to say, “The ruling party will never want panchayat and municipal elections to be held here because currently, funds are being operated through their MLAs and workers. Once people elect their own representatives through panchayat and urban local body (ULB) polls, the party will lose its direct control over the allocation and expenditure of these funds — and they do not want that to happen.”
Ghulam Hassan Mir also lashed out at the ruling party for its deceptive promises made to voters during the election campaign.
He said, “The ruling party has deceived the people. For instance, they asked for votes by promising that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored — but that was a blatant lie. Similarly, they claimed they would ensure the restoration of Article 370. Another poll promise made by the ruling party was that they would create one lakh jobs within six months of assuming power.”
He added, “The leaders of the ruling party had committed to ensuring a better mineral policy to safeguard the rights of the local population over local resources. However, they no longer even mention this issue. It was clearly stated in their manifesto that they would revisit the existing mineral policy to make it more beneficial for local people and stakeholders. But now, they seem to have forgotten that promise as well.”
Mir expressed grave concern over the growing unemployment, inflation, and other issues that people are currently grappling with.
He said, “It pains me to see our youth suffering due to rising unemployment. On the other hand, inflation continues to surge. Now, people feel betrayed and disheartened, realising they were misled by the ruling party’s false promises and empty slogans.”
