SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir on Thursday expressed deep concern over the governance deficit which has added to the sufferings of people in J&K.

JKAP leaders holds a meeting with party workers.

Addressing a meeting of party workers from Batmaloo constituency at JKAP office at The Bund in Lal Chowk Srinagar, Mir said the Lt. Governor’s rule can never be a replacement to an elected government.

“One of the most important roles of Peoples’ representatives in a popular government is to promote greater responsiveness and accountability to citizens and reflecting citizens’ voice in local public service delivery. This important benefit of a democratic set up is presently missing in J&K,” he observed.

Mir said that the people across both the divisions of J&K are facing a lot of problems due to no-existence of an elected government. “Since their plight is going unheard, the same has resulted in deep disenchantment and alienation among people.”

Stressing on the need for restoration of Statehood, the JKAP leader said the government of India as per its promise made by the union home minister on the floor of Parliament should restore the Statehood to J&K in order to address the growing disconnect between the people and the apparatus of governance.

The JKAP leader said that there is a general feeling among people of J&K about the absence of a credible voice that could take up their issues and get them sorted out. Mir said that JKAP believes in building bridges across the regions and sub-regions in J&K so that this region touches new heights in socio-economic development.

Expressing serious concern over the recent political killings in J&K, Mir said the political ecosystem of Kashmir needs to be safeguarded for the larger interests of the democratic process in the region.  “The government must take concrete measures to address the issues and problems faced by the political activists who along with their families have become soft targets of mindless violence,” he added.

Addressing the meeting, JKAP senior leader and former minister Mohammad Ashraf Mir appreciated the role of Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, president JKAP, in highlighting the plight of lakhs of families who are directly or indirectly involved with extraction, lifting and processing of minor minerals across J&K.

“We are highly thankful to the president of our party who pursued this important issue and pressed the government to explore the solutions to the problems faced by the people associated with extraction and lifting of stones, gravel, aggregate and sand both in Urban and rural areas of J&K,” Mir remarked.

Other party leaders who spoke on the occasion included Abdul Majeed Padroo, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Noor Mohammad Sheikh, Muntazir Mohi-u-Din, Farooq Andrabi, Irfan Naqeeb, Mushtaq Ahmad, Muzaffar Ahmad Reshi, Imtiyaz Rather, Khursheed Malik, Haron Rashid and Showkat Mir.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here