Srinagar, May 14: Former Jammu and Kashmir minister and Apni Party president Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday asserted that while the Central government will take a call on engaging with Pakistan based on the overall national scenario, there can be no delay in initiating a dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to address their “genuine concerns and long-pending grievances”.
His remarks come in the backdrop of RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and former Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane (retd) speaking about the possibility of dialogue with Pakistan. Altaf Bukhari said these were matters for the Centre to decide, but stressed that the situation in J&K cannot be called normal.
“I am saying this again and again because I clearly see growing restlessness among the people, especially our youth. People here are grappling with a range of issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible,” Bukhari said.
Flagging pressing problems, he pointed to rising unemployment and the absence of adequate job creation measures. “A large number of young people are unable to obtain passports, preventing them from seeking better livelihood opportunities abroad. At the same time, soaring inflation has placed immense pressure on ordinary families.”
Altaf Bukhari warned that agriculture, horticulture, tourism, and industrial sectors — the backbone of the region’s economy — are facing grave challenges. “Not only large industries but also MSME and SSI sectors, which sustain thousands of families, are either nearly defunct or on the brink of collapse.”
He asserted that these issues are directly affecting daily lives, creating a feeling that “everything is not going well here”. “The situation cannot be declared normal,” he added. (KNS)
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