Ex-J&K minister Altaf Bukhari floats new political outfit JK Apni Party

SRINANAGR: Former finance minister of J&K, Altaf Bukhari, launched a new political party ‘Apni Party’ in Srinagar on Sunday calling it a platform for the common people, rejecting the idea of dynastic politics, even as the National Conference and Congress have dubbed this party as an offshoot of the BJP.
The new political party –– which comprises a cluster of politicians who have defected, resigned or were fired from different political parties, including the People’s Democratic Party and Congress — aims at addressing people’s aspirations and not just selling dreams to people.

“We are a new mixture of young and old people. Women will also be part of this party…We have launched a party on a very special day. But we will ensure that women get the rights throughout the year, not just on one day,” Bukhari said.

This political platform emerges even as three former J&K chief ministers—Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti ––are still detained under the Public Safety Act, which has also suspended political activity of most of the regional political parties, since August 5, 2019, when special status of J&K was revoked.

“We are a new regional party with a national outlook. We have to look beyond Article 370 and 35(A) as this issue is in the Supreme Court and we have to wait for the verdict-…What will we get if we say we are against what happened on August 5?” Bukhari told reporters at his residence, flanked by former PDP founder members, Dilawar Mir and Ghulam Hassan Mir.

Former ministers Muhammad Ashraf Mir of PDP and Usman Majid of Congress also joined the new platform along with 45 other politicians, activists and former bureaucrats. A young political activist Uzair Ronga, who was associated with the recently launched J&K political movement of Shah Faesal, also joined the new platform.

Bukhari said Apni Party stands for the restoration of statehood, domicile rights on land and jobs, besides a holistic development of all the regions and sub-regions of J&K. “We cannot raise new issues. If BJP raises new issues, we cannot shy away from these issues, just because BJP is raising them,” he said.

Bukhari’s initiative is often likened with that of former prime minister of J&K Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad who parted ways with Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah after staging a coup and remained PM of J&K from 1953 to 1964.

“Bakshi sahib had a political and economic vision for J&K and this place desperately needs the same vision again. I hope we can do something on those lines. I cannot remain a silent observer regarding what is going on here,” Bukhari told reporters. He said the party president will serve only for two terms thus negating any possibility of dynasty rule. The former minister said elections are not happening anytime soon and they have to wait for the delimitation exercise to be completed. He advocated the release of all the detainees who are lodged in jails outside J&K, including political leaders.

“I don’t live by following somebody else’s directions. I take my own decisions as I did when I was the member of PDP,” Bukhari responded when asked whether he was working on the directions of the BJP or central government.

The political parties in Kashmir have reacted sharply to the emergence of new platform, saying this initiative was aimed to blunt the true representative voices of J&K.

“The central government, in connivance with a few, are contriving to prop up yet another formation in J&K…they want to fill the political vacuum of Kashmir with those who parrot what New Delhi wants them to. It is Delhi’s party,” said National Conference spokesperson, Imran Dar.

J&K Congress president, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, also accused the new political party of being a saffron party and its real motive would be exposed soon.

“This party is an offshoot of the saffron party aimed at creating chaos and divisions in the political systems of J&K…People would soon give a befitting reply to this new formation,” said Mir.