SRINAGAR: Businessman-turned-politician Syed Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday said that the response shown by people to the District Development Council (DDC) polls was a lesson for political parties that elections and the Kashmir issue were not connected to each other in any way
Talking on the sidelines of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party’s (JKAP) first Srinagar convention, Bukhari said that the DDC elections had proved that the narrative set by regional political parties (NC, Congress and PDP) that voting in the polls will undermine the Kashmir issue has been disproven. He said that people’s participation in the DDC elections had shown that there was no connection with the Kashmir issue and elections.
“It is the biggest takeaway from this election,” Bukhari said.
During his speech to party workers at the SK Park here, Bukhari said that the response shown by people to the election was a win for the JKAP party because it does the politics of truth.
“A time for politics of truth has come which is the aim of Apni Party. If we lie to our people then what answer we will give to God?” Bukhari said. “We don’t claim that we will win a majority of seats in the DDC polls, but we will surely leave our mark and make our presence felt.”
He did not talk about the abrogation of J&K’s special status but said his party will only talk about what is achievable. “We can resist but there is a limit to it,” he said.
“In the whole world Covid-19 came in March 2020 but here Covid came on August 5, 2019. About August 2019 we understand that no one can forget that black day. But where are those leaders who were here for 70 years? What did they do? We have fallen again and again but by the grace of God, we have risen every time. We have to stand up again to get out of this difficulty,” he said.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz