Addressing the rally, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari expressed confidence of forming the government and spelled out his development priorities. He said the party will give priority to employment for the youth.

Jammu Apr 20 PTI In a major setback to Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party its womens wing state president Namrata Sharma and several of her women colleagues resigned from the party on Wednesday -- minutes after the party announced the immediate suspension of the state women president and the provincial committee on the recommendations of the disciplinary committee The dramatic turn of events unfolded within days after the party president and former minister Altaf Bukhari held a series of public meetings in Samba Kathua and Jammu in an attempt to strengthen the party My whole team has tendered resignation from the party on April 18 to protest ignoring of Jammu leadership and unnecessary curbs to stop us from raising the public issues like the demand for restoration of statehood before assembly elections and holiday on account of the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singhs birthday Sharma told reporters here Flanked by several party colleagues including provincial vice president Jyoti Ved and provincial secretaries Parvinder Kour Sapna and Rittu the woman leader said it was a very difficult decision for them to leave a party for which we have given our sweat and blood over the past two years You might have seen many other leaders like Jammu district president Pranab Shagotra provincial youth president Gourav Kapoor Kashmiri pandit leaders Vinod Pandita and Sanjay Dhar and Kashmiri leader Irfan Naqeeb leaving the party in the recent past along with many elected panchayat members It is all because the leaders are being ignored and they are unable to raise public issues she said The party is accused of being the B-team of BJP which invested in the party after failing to make inroads in Kashmirwhenever we tried to speak against the administration for its anti-people policies we were asked by the leadership to keep silent which shows that the party is in hand-in-glove with the saffron party Sharma said She said the party was formed on the slogan of restoration of statehood to J-K after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 but it has failed to keep its promises and done nothing to raise the demand On April 17 Bukhari called for release of former MLA Engineer Rashid arrested in a case related to terror funding through hawala but on the other we are not allowed to speak in support of the demand for holiday on account of birthday of our last Dogra ruler who is our pride We were feeling strangulated in the party she said adding the people in Jammu are nationalist by core and can go to any extent to safeguard the national interests and the Dogra pride Asked whether she is planning to join any other party Sharma said she has not taken any decision yet but would like to speak to her people before making up her mind Earlier Apni Party general secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir said the post of state president womens wing was kept under suspension till further orders on the recommendations of the disciplinary committee looking into a complaint of state women wing president demanding expulsion of an office bearer on the grounds of indiscipline The provisional committee womens wing Jammu province is also kept under suspension with immediate effect on the recommendations of the disciplinary committee Mir said Sharma questioned the order and said it is full of ambiguity I have lodged a complaint and I am placed under suspension PTI TAS 4172022 AQS AQS

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 29 (ANI): With an aim to spread awareness about the menace of drug abuse in the valley, a drug awareness program was organised in a government school by a local help group on Tuesday.

Jammu Mar 29 PTI Two youth leaders of Jammu and Kashmir one of whom had been associated with the Apni Party joined the BJP here on Tuesday Muneeb Quraishi and Pawan Singh were welcomed into the party fold by the BJPs Jammu and Kashmir president Ravinder Raina at the party headquarters here Quraishi an entrepreneur hailing from Kashmir had been associated with the Apni Party Singh is from the border area of Pargwal in Jammu It is a happy moment for all of us that two prominent youth leadersare becoming part of the party along with their supporters Their joining will further strengthen the party at the grassroots level Raina told reporters Quraishi who had joined the Apni Party in October last year said During the past 70 years only family rule was visible in JK The biggest change in the present time is the empowerment of an ordinary citizen having no political backing and therefore it is timeto bring a positive change Quraishi who studied in London and worked in multiple European countries before moving back to Jammu and Kashmir said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was his biggest inspiration Nationalist voices were suppressed by politicians and anti-national forces but the time has come when the people should leave fear and extend their open support to nationalists and contribute positively Quraishi said PTI TAS SMN

Jammu Mar 21 PTI Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Monday termed August 5 2019 as black day for Jammu and Kashmir and said the people are facing multiple issues including loot of their resources in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 He claimed that the BJP will taste a crushing defeat in the next assembly elections for its anti-people policies I want to ask those people who did injustice with J-K on August 5 2019 - the day we consider as black day - that their perception about Article 370 being the stumbling block in the development has failed Bukhari said addressing a public rally at Vijaypur in Samba district He said the 200-year-old J and K state was reduced to a Union Territory and one of its parts Ladakh was also separated after creating a perception among the people that the scrapping of Article 370 was important to allow development in the region In last four years of your rule we have not seen any development Instead the mining and wine mafia from UP and Bihar have taken over the natural resources and started unchecked loot he said expressing anger over the growing unemployment underdevelopment and poor health care facilities at the village level He said the Apni Party would not allow these outsiders in J-K The resources of J-K belong to the people of the erstwhile state and if we come to power we will throw them out of Lakhanpur He said after the revocation of Article 370 the people are facing multiple issues and there is a need to have an elected government It seems that until an elected government comes to power the present form of government will loot the resources using the outsiders he alleged He questioned those who celebrated the abrogation of special status and said time has come when people have to stand up like Punjab and fight back to throw the mafia out of J-K We have to fight like people in Punjab where they changed the traditional political parties and made a choice for a better future Therefore the people of J-K should also support the Apni Party for equitable development and employment Bukhari said Questioning the snatching of land from the people in Jammus different districts including Samba and Kathua on the pretext of anti-encroachment drive he said it was not the right of the government to evict people from the land which they cultivated for decades We will not allow harassment of the people in J-K The Apni Party will fight it back and restore the rights of the people on such lands which belong to them for a long time he said He said the people of Jammu are in great distress because of the BJP which misled them when they revoked J-Ks special status on August 5 2019 pretending that flood gates of development and employment will open thereafter Do you find any development or employment he asked and claimed that the BJP will not be able to cross the double figures during the next assembly elections in J-K Bukhari said the Darbar Move a practice under which the government used to function six months each in Srinagar and Jammu was stopped suddenly which was against the economic interests of Jammu businessmen I want to ask a question to the business community in Jammu who support BJP whether the decision was in their favour No it was not in their favour as the business of Jammu was hit badly and the coordinal relations between the two regions were also affected with this decision he said He said if his party comes to power it will restore the practice in favour of the two regions their people and the business community Bukahri said their struggle for the restoration of statehood to J-K will continue PTI TAS TAS AQS AQS

Jammu Feb 19 PTI Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari on Saturday expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would pay attention to the voices of concern over the delimitation commission draft proposalHe also sought the resignation of the five parliamentarians from Jammu and Kashmir three National Conference and two BJP members -- for their alleged failure to safeguard the interests of the people despite being the associate members of the commissionThe Delimitation Commission in its draft report has proposed an overhaul of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir triggering massive protests in the Union territory The draft report was circulated on February 4 to the associate members who had submitted their objections on February 14We are hopeful that after the elections in five states the prime minister and the home minister on first priority will pay their attention to the voices of concern over the draft proposal of the delimitation commission so that a catastrophe injustice and disenfranchisement of vast majority of voters is stopped and a message conveyed to the people that their voices matter Bukhari a former minister told reporters hereDismissing the draft proposal as disempowerment of the public Bukhari said the report needs to be withdrawn in the interest of the people and the countryIn the constitution of India we have equal rightsthe interest of the people remains supreme and no party is supreme over the security of the country he saidCriticising the five MPs from JK the Apni Party leader said They were supposed to represent the people instead of their parties but they failed to represent the interests of the people of JK He accused the delimitation commission of ignoring the national security aspect by disempowering the people especially in the border areasBy this draft proposal Bukhari alleged that an attempt was made to ensure regional and communal divide but said the party is thankful to the public that they are not buying itWe have not rejected the report because one region was given additional six seats and another only one but the way the exercise should have taken place was not done he saidIn an apparent reference to the reports about the merger of some parts of Rajouri and Poonch districts with the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency he said it looks that they have a plan to implement Owen Dixon of 1951 to make America happy or give practical shape to some generals behind operation Tupac of PakistanDixon the UN Representative who came to the subcontinent pursuant to the Security Councils 1950 resolution on the Kashmir dispute had assigned Ladakh to India the Northern Areas and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir POK to Pakistan split Jammu between the two and envisaged a plebiscite in the Kashmir ValleyThe plan popularly known as Dixon plan was rejected by India and even by the then prime minister after 1953 the post was called chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh AbdullahBukhari said he had no hesitation in saying that the report was made keeping in mind the interests of the BJP ignoring the security of the country as many border constituencies like Suchetgarh either vanished or merged in such a way which triggered resentment among the border populationI would have no objection if the reports had safeguarded the interests of the country he saidAsked if he believed that the report was made at the behest of the RSS as alleged by some parties he said there are invisible forces operating in Jammu and KashmirResponding to a question about the filing of objections by both NC and BJP to the commission and NCs assertion that it will move to the court against it he said I am deceiving my people when I say I will go to the court of law because there is no provision to challenge the report We are challenging this report in the peoples court he said PTI TAS TIR TIR

Srinagar Jan 29 PTI Militants on Saturday shot dead a policeman in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir police said evoking condemnations from mainstream political parties in the Valley J-K Police head constable Ali Mohammad Ganie was fired upon by militants near his residence at Hasanpora in the Tabala area of Bijbehara Anantnag a police spokesman said He said Ganie was shifted to a hospital in critical condition where he succumbed The martyred official was posted at Police Station Kulgam We pay our rich tributes to the martyr and stand by his family at this critical juncture the spokesman said Police have registered a case and started an investigation he said He said police officers are working to establish the full circumstances of this terror crime adding the area has been cordoned and search is going on Political parties and leaders condemned the attack National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and party vice president Omar Abdullah condemned the killing of the policeman Violence in any of its manifestations is always unacceptable and will yield nothing except further death and destruction The vicious cycle of death has caused much loss to human lives in J-K while devastating the socio-economic conditions of the people during the last over three decades It is high time for such incidents to be stopped now My heartfelt sympathies are with the bereaved family Farooq Abdullah said Omar Abdullah tweeted Very sorry to hear about the death in the line of duty of HC Ali Mohd Ganie I unreservedly condemn this attack while at the same time sending my heartfelt condolences to his family loved ones Allah Jannat naseeb karey Ameen PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the people of J-K are victims of a senseless cycle of violence Deepest condolences to his family loved ones People of JK are victims of this senseless cycle of violence that keeps claiming innocent lives she said on Twitter Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone termed the attackers as cowardly violent thugs Yet another gruesome act of senseless violence Ali Mohd Ganai of JK police falls to the bullets of cowardly violent thugs Salute his sacrifice Lone said in a tweet Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari also strongly condemned the killing of the policeman and termed the attack as cowardly and extremely heart-wrenching Bukhari asserted that violence holds no space or legitimacy in any civilised society Such acts have only worsened the collective situation in Jammu and Kashmir for a long time now How many innocent lives have to be further sacrificed and how many homes are still destined to be devastated These radical forces have only added to the woes of the people and there needs to be an end to this senseless violence once for all I utterly condemn this despicable attack and extend my deep sympathies to the family of the slain cop he said Bukhari said one more family has today lost its bread-winner to the reprehensible cycle of bloodshed He urged the government to disburse adequate ex-gratia to the family of the slain policeman besides putting forth efforts to impede such heinous acts preemptively so that no precious lives are lost The BJPs J-K unit also condemned the attack BJP general secretary organisation Ashok Koul termed the killing as barbaric and a cowardly act which has no place in a civilised society The act deserves strong condemnation by all without any caste creed or religion Koul said He also expressed grief with the bereaved family PTI SSB AQS AQS

Jammu Jan 28 PTI Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari on Thursday said his party emerged as a hope in Jammu and Kashmir when there was a feeling of alienation among the people and nobody represented their concernsThe party tried to bring out people from a situation of hopelessness with a policy to end divisive politics and unite the people of the two regions Kashmir and Jammu he said at a programme in which Congress leader Akhlaq Hussain Khakhi along with his supporters joined the Apni PartyWhile welcoming the new entrants Bukhari said Our party emerged as a hope in Jammu and Kashmir when there was disappointment and feeling of alienation among the people He said that the joining of Khakhi and his supporters will strengthen the roots of the Apni Party and asked them to take forward its policy and agendaWe founded this party when there was hopelessness among the people in Jammu and Kashmir The people were left helpless nor did anyone represent their concerns and this was the time we decided to come out in support of the common masses Bukhari saidHe said that we have tried to bring out people from the situation of hopelessness to the good future with a policy to end the divisive politics and unite the people of two regionsInitially our opponents raised several objections but time has proved that the voice which was raised by us was right and it is due to this reason the people from remote places of Jammu and Kashmir are joining the Apni Party They are joining because of its development centric policies and agenda he saidBukhari advocated for unity among the two regions and its people while criticising politics of divisionWe believe in the equitable development of all regions and districts with no scope of discrimination with any one especially marginalised section of society he saidBukhari asked his partys leaders to work to end differences in society and make people aware about the efforts of the party towards peace prosperity and development in Jammu and KashmirWe will work for the people and our leaders would be approachable to everyone so that the feeling of powerlessness can be ended by empowering the people he saidThe situation is not conducive for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as they feel alienated with the present form of governance Bukhari saidHence there must be assembly polls to win the confidence of the people so that an elected government comes in Jammu and Kashmir he saidWe have elected governments across the country and Jammu and Kashmir should not be treated differently and hence the democratic system must be restored the Apni Party chief saidThe time has come when the government should think about and restore Jammu and Kashmirs statehood first and hold assembly polls without further delay thereafter he addedHe also claimed that his party has received an overwhelming response from people who faced disappointment from traditional political partiesKhakhi a prominent social activist from Mendhar said the agenda of the Apni Party is being appreciated by the people and they believe that it is only the Apni Party that can bring out the people from the difficult situation in Jammu and KashmirWe were impressed with the agenda of the party Therefore I along with other supporters joined the Apni Party he added assuring that they will work on the ground to make people aware about the policies and agenda of the party PTI AB ANB ANB

Jammu Jan 18 PTI PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said she is not taking back those leaders who have deserted the party even though many of them are willing to returnDozens of senior PDP leaders including former ministers and legislators left the party after the BJP withdrew its support to the Mehbooba-led coalition government in July 2018 and most of them joined the Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari or the Peoples Conference led by Sajjad LoneI have made it a principle that those who have left us will not be taken back Many of the leaders who deserted the party are eager to return but I am not going to take them back Mehbooba said addressing a function at party headquarters hereThe function was organised by the PDP to welcome dozens of new entrants including supporters of Bushan Lal Dogra a former minister who rejoined the PDP last monthDogra is like my younger brother and is a thorough gentleman whom I respect the most His case of rejoining the party is exceptional Mehbooba said expressing hope that he along with other workers would work tirelessly for strengthening the party at the grass-roots levelLaunching a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government she alleged that the ruling party is using Jammu and Kashmir as a laboratory for experimenting and has destroyed the erstwhile stateMy request to the people is to stand up to save Jammu and Kashmir If you are able to save JK you will save the country They started destruction of the country from JK the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister saidReferring to the governments plan to facilitate large scale investment in Jammu and Kashmir she said outside investors bring their own labour force along with them while they have their contribution in the apartments planned to be build by the big real estate investors She accused the BJP of launching an eviction drive to retrieve land from the hapless poor people irrespective of their religion creed or casteUnder BJP rule the rich are becoming richer while as the number of poor had doubled with youth becoming jobless and inflation touching the sky she saidPraising her party workers Mehbooba said it is heartening to see the dream of party founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed becoming a reality with each passing dayI am seeing concern for people of Kashmir growing in Jammu Mufti wanted to see the two regions stand together and understand each others pain This is happening today she said PTI TAS ZMN

Srinagar Dec 23 PTI Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari on Thursday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the draft proposals of the Delimitation Commission and announced to hold a silent protest march against it Addressing a press conference here Bukhari said since Jammu Kashmir is directly ruled by the Centre leaders should intervene to protect the rights of its people The commission has put us in a spot where the people of JK do not know what their future is Our children ask us what is left for us in this country and will it be like this all the time Is this justice The commission has made a shameful attempt to pit Jammu against Kashmir but they will not succeed in that This is not an issue of a fight between Jammu Kashmir this is an issue of justice he said Bukhari said if the commission was working for a party then that party is not working for the interests of the country Earlier in the week the Delimitation Commission formed after the reorganisation of JK into a Union Territory had proposed six additional seats for Jammu and one for Kashmir Currently Jammu has 37 assembly seats and Kashmir 46 JK political parties including PDP and National Conference have expressed strong objections to the proposal alleging bias in favour of the BJP The idea of a united India a secular India is defeated when such things are done The Apni Party rejects it on behalf of the people of JK and requests the Prime Minister and the GoI as we believe that GoI and BJP are separate to intervene in the matter he said We know we will be told that it is a quasi-judicial commission but had it been so it would have done justice But we think it is working under the instructions of the BJP Bukhari alleged He said the party has decided to hold a silent march by wearing black bands on December 29 as a protest against the draft proposal This protest is to show that our voice has been stifled he said Bukhari said this was not a time for party politics but to be seen together and united in demanding the rights of people of JK It is about our peace our communal harmony It is not about credit or discredit or an issue of Hindus or Muslims he said He said BJP is not the sole custodian of this country and it has not taken over the rights of all the people The leader said his party did not have any issue in being part of an alliance for the protection of the rights of the people We are too small to initiate dialogue with anyone But for a common cause we are open to form an alliance They are welcome to be a part of our efforts if they think we have some role It is up to them we do not have a problem he said PTI SSB MIJ VN VN