Srinagar: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Friday called for reforms in the health and education sectors to improve access to essential services in remote and border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, saying these regions continue to face shortages of infrastructure and professional manpower.
Addressing party workers during an outreach programme at Dak Bungalow in Surankote, Poonch, Bukhari said qualified doctors and teachers should be appointed in remote areas and required to serve there for a specified period to ensure continuity in essential services.
He said people living in far-flung areas continue to face hardships due to inadequate healthcare and educational facilities and stressed the need for long-term planning and concrete measures to bridge the developmental gap.
Bukhari, who is touring the Pir Panjal region along with the party’s Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir and other leaders, said interactions with residents, political workers and activists over the past five days had highlighted several pressing public issues requiring government attention.
Raising concerns about border areas, Bukhari alleged that the Centre had not fulfilled its commitment to provide community and individual safety bunkers to residents living along the Line of Control. Referring to cross-border shelling, he urged the government to expedite the construction of bunkers to ensure the safety of border residents.
The Apni Party president also reiterated his party’s demand for the restoration of the constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, Bukhari described the move as painful for the people and stressed the need for constructive engagement between New Delhi and the people of Jammu and Kashmir to bridge what he termed the prevailing trust deficit.
He also said the party would work for the rehabilitation of youth who had been “misled” in the past and ensure they were provided opportunities to lead dignified lives.
Speaking on the occasion, Apni Party Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir expressed concern over unemployment among educated youth, saying the government needed to create more employment opportunities and take concrete measures to secure their future.
Mir said the region had already lost decades to violence and instability and urged policymakers to focus on creating opportunities that would enable young people to pursue peaceful and productive lives. He said the party’s policies were aimed at promoting peace, development and prosperity.
Provincial President Manjit Singh appealed to the people to strengthen the Apni Party, claiming it had played a role in persuading the Centre to restore land and job rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir after the 2019 constitutional changes.
The meeting was also attended by Senior Vice President for Jammu Province Shah Mohammad Tantray, SC Wing president Bodraj Baghat, Provincial Vice President Saleem Chowdhary, Kissan Wing president Badrinath Sharma, spokesperson Rafiq Ahmad Khan, General Secretary Poonch Surjan Singh, Zonal President Surankote Massarat Hayat Malik and other party leaders.
