NC, PDP will expose each other, says Apni Party chief

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, March 13

While launching an attack on the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, former Finance Minister and Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said his decision to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after the abrogation of Article 370 was right. He said it is better to be referred to an Indian agent in Kashmir rather than a Pakistani agent.

He said the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party in the coming weeks would be revealing dark secrets of each other in public rallies and they will be exposing each other. “ They would say all those things that would unheard of so far. In all these four years, they would also reveal who met whom and on which night and at what time,” Bukhari said. “They would reveal each other’s secret meetings with the Union Home Minister. They would be revealing each other meetings with various agencies,” he added.

“We are proud to have a meeting with the Prime Minister and Home Minister in broad daylight. We went to meet the PM at that time when we formed our own party,” Bukhari said. “We went to Delhi because we realised it was the right thing to do. We went there to seek the release of youths, shops were shut and there was no hope,” Bukhari said. He said he was told by many that they would be referred to as Indian agents. “I told them it is better than to be called Pakistani agents. If we are called Indian agents for mitigating the pain of our people, we are proud of it,” he added.

“I see some of my friends that they were so fearful of being with the Apni Party president. But you are those people who tried to speak when no one was. In these four years didn’t we save 1200 youths as every year 300 youth were killed,” he added. He said these youths were killed when the NC and the PDP were ruling.

Following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the 15-month-long detention of Mehbooba Mufti, several former MLAs and ministers from her party splintered off to form a new entity known as the Apni Party. The initial exodus from the PDP began in March 2020, with a cadre of senior leaders and former ministers, aligning themselves with Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party. Bukhari had previously served as the Finance Minister of the PDP during its alliance with the BJP.

On March 14, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with a 24-member delegation from the Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party, led by Altaf Bukhari, at Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi. This was PM’s first direct engagement with a political leader from J&K following the abrogation of Article 370.

Proud to meet pm, shah

While launching an attack on the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, former Finance Minister and Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said his decision to meet PM Narendra Modi soon after the abrogation of Article 370 was right. He said it is better to be referred to an Indian agent in Kashmir rather than a Pakistani agent

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