SRINAGAR: Recently formed Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at New Delhi conveying him that August 5 was a watershed moment in the history of Jammu & Kashmir. Bukhari was accompanied by 23 other members of the Apni Party that was launched on Sunday.
“Apni Party President Shri Altaf Bukhari noted that 5th of August 2019, when the decision to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35-A was taken, was a watershed moment in the history of Jammu & Kashmir,” according to the brief details of the interactive session that was uploaded on the Prime Minister’s website.
The meeting took place at the prime minister at Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi. The delegation discussed on various issues like concerns on demographic changes, delimitation exercise and grant of state domicile.
The delegation was assured by the prime minister that the government is committed to the economic development of the region through an extensive focus on infrastructure development and creating new investment opportunities in sectors like tourism. He assured full support from the government to resolve all the issues being faced by Jammu & Kashmir.
The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for his unstinted support and untiring efforts towards the development of Jammu & Kashmir. They also appreciated the efforts of the government, security agencies and the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards maintaining peace and security in the region.
The Prime Minister called for Janbhagidari in transforming Jammu & Kashmir, emphasizes the importance of administration that gives voice to the people. He suggested that the youth should act as catalytic agents for the development of Jammu & Kashmir.
In an interactive session, Prime Minister called for Janbhagidari in transforming Jammu & Kashmir and emphasized on the importance of an administration that gives voice to the people. Prime Minister also noted that democracy in the region could be strengthened through a fast-moving process of political integration.
Speaking on youth empowerment, Prime Minister said that youth should act as catalytic agents for the development of Jammu & Kashmir. He highlighted the importance of skill development and creating new employment opportunities for the youth to bring in an overall transformation of Jammu & Kashmir.
Prime Minister assured the delegation that the government is committed to the economic development of the region through an extensive focus on infrastructure development and creating new investment opportunities in sectors like tourism. He assured full support of the government to resolve all the issues being faced by Jammu & Kashmir.
Prime Minister engaged with the delegation on various issues like concerns on demographic changes, delimitation exercise and grant of state domicile. Referring to his statement in Parliament, Prime Minister underlined that the Government will work with all sections of the population to realize the hopes of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at an early opportunity.
The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for his unstinted support and untiring efforts towards the development of Jammu & Kashmir. They also appreciated the efforts of the government, security agencies and the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards maintaining peace and security in the region.
After meeting the Prime Minister Bukhari told reporters that they requested the PM that everyone in preventive detention should be released. “Koi bhi kisi lalach ki wajah se kisi ke saath nahi hota hai, ek maksad ki wajah se ye jamaat bani hai,” Bukhari was quoted saying. “Ye aam logon ki jamaat hai.” Asserting that Prime Minister’s heart beats for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari said that Modi assured them that no demographic change will be done. “He is a man of commitment. He understands what the people of Jammu and Kashmir want,” Bukhari was quoted saying. “He appreciated when we said that we want the same laws as the rest of the country.” He was also quoted saying as having said that the Prime Minister assured them that the restoration process for the statehood will begin after the delimitation process concludes.
Bukhari led delegation comprised 24 former MLAs and MLCs including Ghulam Hassan Mir, Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Zaffar Manhas, Vijay Bakaya, Vikram Malhotra, Manjeet Singh, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, Javed Hassan Beigh, Usman Majeed, Choudhary Qamar Hussain, Raja Manzoor, Shoiab Lone, Abdul Majeed Padder, Abdul Rahim Rather, Syed Asghar Ali, Javaid Mirchal, Noor Mohammad Sheikh, Yawar Ahmad Mir and Kamal Arora.
