Srinagar: Former Cabinet Minister and Apni Party Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir on Thursday urged New Delhi to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth, in order to win their hearts and bridge the gap between the Centre and the Union Territory.
He made this appeal while addressing a party convention in Tangmarg today. Other prominent party leaders, including General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir, Youth President and spokesperson Yawar Mir, and District President Baramulla Shabir Ahmad Shah also addressed the gathering.
In his speech Ghulam Hassan Mir said, “Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble Home Minister have promised that they will ensure the dil ki doori (distance of hearts) between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country is bridged. This dil ki doori can only be bridged through the use of soft power. The Centre needs to take initiatives to win over the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Suppression is not a solution to any problem. For sustained peace and stability, it is imperative that relationships are built on trust, not mistrust and fear. I strongly urge the government of India to hold a meaningful dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir especially the youth. It is a need of hour.”
“At the same time, we need to create a peaceful environment here to ensure lasting peace, stability, and development. Without a peaceful environment, neither stability nor development is possible,” he added.
Ghulam Hassan Mir reiterated Apni Party’s demand for holding panchayat and ULB polls. He said, “We demand the immediate holding of panchayat and municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The government does not want these elections to be held because it does not want grassroots-level empowerment and does not want to share power with elected representatives at the ground level. However, Apni Party will ensure that these elections are conducted without further delay. We will make sure that democracy is strengthened at the grassroots level.”
He further said, “Last year’s Assembly election gave us the role of the opposition in Jammu and Kashmir, and we will play this role vigorously as the voice of the people.”
He said that the ruling National Conference has failed to deliver and effective governance here. He gave a range of example regarding this. He said, “People had invested heavily in tourism infrastructure, believing it would eventually provide them with a reliable livelihood. However, this government has sealed many of these new structures. A people’s government is expected to find solutions to problems, not make things more complicated. If these new structures have some issues, they can be sorted out, even by imposing penalties. But sealing the buildings is not a solution.”
Besides Ghulam Hassan Mir, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Yawar Mir, the prominent party leaders who spoke on the occasion or who were present in the convention included party’s District President Baramulla Shabir Ahmad Shah, DDC members Nazir Ahmad Sheikh, Shabir Ahmad, Adv Mir Tajamul Ishfaq, Party leaders Dr Noor, Kaka Ji Abul Rehman lone, Abdul Karim Dar, Nazir Ahmad Dardpora, Ex BDC Abdul Gani Mir, and others.