Srinagar, July 2: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir, and Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir on Thursday strongly criticised the ruling National Conference (NC)-led government, accusing it of failing to deliver effective governance and honour the promises it made to the people during the 2024 Assembly elections.
The leaders were addressing a workers’ convention at Kunzer in Tangmarg. On the occasion, several political and social activists joined the Apni Party and were warmly welcomed by the party leadership.
Addressing the gathering, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari termed the National Conference’s proposed sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to demand the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood as nothing more than a political gimmick aimed at misleading the people.
“Statehood is not something that can be obtained by staging protests on the streets of Delhi or at Jantar Mantar. This proposed protest is merely gimmick and another attempt by the ruling party to divert public attention from its failures and mislead the people,” he said.
He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who had given the present government a massive mandate, are now deeply disappointed with its performance.
“The people feel deceived because the promises made during the 2024 election campaign have remained unfulfilled. The government has failed to deliver on its commitments, and public frustration continues to grow,” he said.
Questioning the government’s performance, he asked, “The ruling party had promised one lakh jobs soon after assuming office. More than 20 months have passed—where are those jobs? What happened to the promise of providing 200 units of free electricity and free LPG cylinders to households? Have the daily wagers been regularised? Has the ration quota been enhanced as promised? The government made a long list of commitments before the elections, but none of them has been fulfilled.”
Apni Party president urged party workers to prepare for the forthcoming Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections, saying the people have now recognised the difference between empty promises and genuine public service.
“The traditional political parties have repeatedly deceived people with false promises. It is now our responsibility to reach every household and strengthen the party at the grassroots,” he said.
Expressing concern over restrictions on local mining activities, Bukhari said the government should allow local people to continue manual mining in streams, as generations have depended on it for their livelihood.
“The government should issue permits to local residents, collect the prescribed royalty, and allow them to continue manual mining. Depriving local communities of their traditional source of livelihood is unjust,” he said.
He also reiterated his demand for dialogue between the Centre and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I once again appeal to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to initiate meaningful dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir so that their grievances and aspirations can be addressed through peaceful engagement,” he said.
Bukhari said, “The Government of India must engage with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the youth, to bridge the trust deficit between the people of J&K and the Centre.”
He said that those who are demanding India-Pakistan talks should raise this demand at various forums and across the country, but not in Jammu and Kashmir, because such demands on the soil of Jammu and Kashmir are disturbing the people, especially the youth. Therefore, he said, it would be better to raise such demands elsewhere at Delhi, Mumbai and other places in the country rather than in Jammu and Kashmir.
Bukhari also renewed his demand for the release of detainees and expressed concern over the government’s failure to compensate farmers who suffered massive losses due to recent hailstorms and heavy rains.
Addressing the convention, Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir accused the ruling party of undermining democratic institutions and concentrating power.
“They are governing Jammu and Kashmir in a manner that resembles the rule of the Maharajas. Power has become centralised, and democratic institutions are being weakened. Apni Party will continue its struggle against this ‘Maharaja-style’ governance and work to ensure that power truly rests with the people,” he said.
Criticising the functioning of the ruling party, Mir alleged that even its own legislators have been denied the freedom to serve the people effectively.
“The MLAs of the ruling party have virtually been reduced to slaves. They are not allowed to function independently or address the concerns of the people,” he said.
He said that while the ruling alliance had received a mandate to govern, the Apni Party had received a mandate to play the role of a responsible opposition.
“We know how to discharge the responsibilities of an effective opposition. We will continue to hold the government accountable for every promise it has failed to fulfil,” he added.
Mir also accused the government of delaying Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies elections, thereby depriving people of democratic representation at the grassroots.
“We strongly demand immediate elections to Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies so that democratic institutions are revived and people regain their right to choose their representatives,” he said.
He assured the gathering that the Apni Party would continue to represent the aspirations of the people and urged workers to further strengthen the organisation across Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the occasion, Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir criticised the government’s move of outsourcing jobs, describing it as a serious injustice to educated unemployed youth.
“Outsourcing recruitment and allowing backdoor appointments deprive deserving educated youth of fair employment opportunities. At a time when unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing Jammu and Kashmir, such policies only deepen public despair,” he said.
He also criticised the government for failing to address concerns over the existing reservation policy.
“The present reservation policy has generated widespread resentment because it is unfair to a large section of society. Despite being in office for more than 20 months, the government has failed to resolve this important issue. People have every reason to question its commitment and competence,” he said.
On the occasion, several political and social activists joined the Apni Party in the presence of the senior leadership.
Those who joined the party included former lecturer Mohammad Ashraf Mir, former Police Inspector Farooq Ahmad Paray, former TSO Abdul Ahad Sofi, former TSO Manzoor Ahmad Dar, former TSO Bashir Ahmad Malik, NC Wailoo Block Vice President Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani, NC worker Abul Rashid Qureshi, NC worker Mohammad Akbar Khan, Mateen Ahmad Baba, Mehraj Ahmad Bakhsh, and several others.
Among those present at the convention, besides Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Ghulam Hassan Mir and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, were District President Baramulla Shabir Ahmad Shah, Provincial Secretary Kashmir Aftab Ahmad Beigh, Provincial Publicity Secretary Kashmir Aamir Rashid Wani, District Vice President Baramulla Syed Noor-ul-Aman, Social Media Analyst Tariq Mohiuddin, Block Presidents Abdul Kareem Dar (Kunzer), Kaka Ji Abdul Rehman Lone (Chandil), Nazir Ahmad (Wailoo), Mohammad Akbar, Abdul Ahad Wani, Constituency In-charge Tangmarg and former DDC Advocate Ishfaq Mir, former DDC Kunzer Nazir Ahmad Sheikh, Senior Leader Abdul Ahad Botany, party’s Zonal President Abdul Majeed Khanday, Block President Nazir Ahmad, Block President Mohammad Akbar, Block President Abdul Rehman alias Kaka, and other party functionaries.
