Srinagar: Prominent political activist from Srinagar’s Chanapora constituency, Jibran Dar, on Wednesday formally joined the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party along with his associates and supporters at a function held at the party headquarters here.
Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari and senior party leaders welcomed Dar into the party and expressed confidence that his joining would strengthen the organisation in the Chanapora constituency.
Addressing the gathering, Bukhari said the party was pleased to welcome dedicated political activists committed to public service.
“I warmly welcome Jibran Dar Sahib and his associates into the Apni Party. His induction will undoubtedly add strength to the party’s presence at the grassroots level in Chanapora,” he said.
He assured the new entrants that the party would provide them with opportunities to serve the people and work for the development and welfare of their area.
Later, addressing a press conference, Bukhari urged the Centre to initiate confidence-building measures and begin a meaningful dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth, to bridge the trust deficit between the Union Territory and New Delhi.
“We are not asking for anything new. The Prime Minister and the Home Minister have already promised to engage in dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the right time to begin a meaningful dialogue to address the pressing problems faced by the people here,” he said.
Reiterating his party’s demands, Bukhari called for immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He also demanded an end to the arrests of youth, easing of police verification procedures for job seekers and passport applicants, and the release of detainees.
Referring to the recent bail granted to Shabir Ahmad Shah, Bukhari said other detainees who have remained under trial for years without any conclusion to their cases should also be released.
“Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood should be restored without any further delay. There should be an end to the arrests of youth, and police verification procedures for job seekers and passport applicants should be eased,” he said.
Taking a dig at the elected government, Bukhari said that although the Apni Party had accepted the public mandate in the Assembly elections, the ruling dispensation had failed to fulfil the promises made to the people.
He questioned the government over its promises of one lakh jobs and regularisation of 1.2 lakh daily wagers.
“What has this government done to address the pressing issues faced by the people? Where are the one lakh jobs that the ruling party promised during their poll campaign? And what happened to their promise to regularise 1.2 lakh daily wagers?” he asked.
Bukhari also raised the issue of reservation, saying that 70 per cent of the population was receiving only 30 per cent of the jobs. He demanded that reservation be implemented according to population ratio.
The Apni Party president further expressed concern over a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India which, he said, showed that nearly Rs 7,000 crore of Jammu and Kashmir’s budget had remained unspent.
Referring to the horticulture sector, Bukhari said fruit growers had repeatedly suffered losses due to hailstorms and demanded immediate assessment of damage and timely compensation for affected farmers.
