Asserting that people want restoration of their honour and dignity, Apni Party President, Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari on Saturday demanded holding of much delayed Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir for the empowerment of the people.

“The people across J&K are feeling disempowered with the bureaucratic regime. On the other hand, the unnecessary delay in holding assembly elections has given rise to the feeling of alienation among the people which needs to be addressed at the earliest,” said Altaf Bukhari while addressing a public rally in the Rajouri town near the Line of Control (LOC).

Bukhari said that “The basic needs of the people whether electricity, clean drinking water, road, infrastructure for hospitals, and educational institutions are not available in Rajouri and its border villages due to the poor response from the bureaucrats. As the civil administration has completely collapsed, it is ample time to restore the confidence of the people who are feeling sidelined with no elected representative or government in place.”

The people in both the regions have similar demand to restore statehood and hold Assembly elections in J&K without delay, he said, and questioned that “If elections can be held in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and others states and UTs in the country, why they are delayed in J&K.” He said that the people want their honour and dignity to be restored with the restoration of statehood.

He said that the Government officials have harassed people in the name of anti-encroachment drive, formalities in old age pension schemes, but forget to complete the pending developmental projects.

He criticized the recruitment agencies in which recruitment scams have got exposed.

The situation is not favorable for the common man in J&K. The bureaucrats have failed to do anything for the welfare of J&K and its people.

Bureaucrats are not answerable to the people. If we form the next government we will take action against those officers who are ignoring developmental works and engaging outsiders in village level works, he warned.

He said that a major attempt was made in Rajouri to divide people on the name of Gujjars, Pahari and Kashmiri. Not only the BJP, but the Congress Party, NC, and PDP are equally responsible for creating division in the regions as well as among the people. He appreciated the people of Rajouri for maintaining peace and brotherhood despite all attempts to create misunderstanding among them.

“We will not allow the bulldozer politics to flourish in J&K. The people from all sections of society are against it. People want peace, prosperity and development and the Apni Party is committed to provide stability and equitable development,” he added.

Senior Vice President, Apni Party, Ghulam Hassan Mir said that Apni Party believes that “The youth are the future of J&K as well as of the country. Hence, they should be guided towards the right track that leads them to peace and progress, but not to the violence.”

Vice President, Apni Party, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali also highlighted various issues faced by the people in Rajouri.