Apni Party to skip Jantar Mantar protest: Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, Jul 18: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday announced that his party will not participate in the National Conference’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, asserting that the party believes in “reconciliation, not confrontation” as the path to resolving the region’s political issues.
Addressing a press conference, Bukhari said the Apni Party supports the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood but does not agree with the manner in which the protest has been planned.
“We believe in reconciliation and not confrontation because confrontation has ruined us since 1947. We lost the Prime Minister’s post in 1953. Confrontation is not a solution,” Bukhari said.
He said the National Conference has every right to organize its protest but added that a broader political consensus could have made the initiative more representative.
“If the National Conference had chosen the path of consultation and taken all political parties into confidence, everyone would have supported this protest. We support the demand for restoration of statehood, but we will not stand with them at the Jantar Mantar protest,” he said.
Bukhari clarified that the Apni Party’s decision should not be interpreted as opposition to the demand for statehood.
“We have not rejected the demand. We stand with the demand for restoration of statehood, but we do not believe confrontation is the way forward,” he said.
The National Conference has called for a protest at Jantar Mantar seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, while several political parties have expressed differing views on the scope and approach of the proposed demonstration. [KNT]