Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday strongly advocated restoration of statehood to J&K, saying it is not a favour to people but their right which was snatched from them in August 2019.
He also expressed confidence that the pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas will take place peacefully as people of J&K are eagerly waiting for the arrival of guests from across the country.
“We could not win any seat in the assembly elections held last year because of the anti-Delhi sentiment of the people even as the time has proved our stand right that J&K can move forward only by joining hands with the Centre,” Bukhari, a former minister, said.
He said J&K is surrounded by Pakistan, China and Afghanistan and always needs the support of the central government.
However, the Centre from time to time has given the region “wounds” like the August 5, 2019 when the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union territories and its special status revoked, he said.
“The August 2019 development was nothing short of a catastrophe for us and they need to return what has been taken away from us. The restoration of statehood is not a favour but our right which should be given to us,” Bukhari told reporters after welcoming dozens of grassroot level workers into his party fold here.
He said the central government should respect the feelings and emotions of the people who were deprived of their identity which needs to be restored without any further delay.
On the reported agreement of ceasefire between Iran and Israel, he said it is a welcome development as war is no solution to any problem.
“We believe in Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence…the confrontation resulted in loss of precious lives and massive damage to the infrastructure on both sides. Iran leadership showed maturity by agreeing to a ceasefire,” Bukhari said, adding it is always better to address contentious issues through peaceful means rather than going into war.
On the Indo-Pak situation, he said they have full faith in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government which is capable of dealing with its neighbouring countries.
“We are witness to the skirmishes between India and Pakistan (during Operation Sindoor in May) which resulted in massive destruction. We appeal to the Centre and the J&K government to reconsider the compensation announced for the border residents whose houses were damaged in Pakistani shelling,” he said.
He termed the compensation given to border residents as “inadequate” and proposed reconstruction of the damaged houses by the government on its own rather than providing them money for rebuilding.
“They cannot complete their constructions by the compensation announced by the government. You cannot even buy a door for Rs 65,000 which was given to partially damaged house owners,” Bukhari said.
