Announces support for jailed candidate Sarjan Barkati in Berwah constituency

SRINAGAR: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Monday called on his party cadre and supporters in the Berwah assembly constituency to back Sarjan Barkati, who is contesting for the assembly seat from that constituency. Barkati, who is currently in jail, is also a candidate in the Gandrebal constituency.
Altaf Bukhari in a statement said, “Since Apni Party is not contesting in the Berwah constituency, I urge my party cadre and supporters there to support Sarjan Barkati in the upcoming elections in this constituency.”
He made this announcement while speaking to media reporters during his public outreach campaign in Barzala area of his home constituency of Chanapora on Monday.
Responding to a question about the rising unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, “The fact is that unemployment is the biggest challenge that people, especially our youth, are grappling with in J&K. The governments have so far failed to create sufficient employment opportunities here. That is why I urge the youth to become part of the change. Young people need to be involved in the power structure so that they can help shape the future of the younger generation in J&K.”
On pending SRO cases, Bukhari said, “If Apni Party receives the public mandate to serve, it will ensure that all pending compassionate appointment cases under SRO-43 are resolved once and for all. This will not be a favor to the beneficiaries; rather, it is their right, which has unfortunately been denied so far. Appointments should normally be made within three months. According to the law (under SRO-43), the kin of those killed in militancy-related incidents and government employees who died while in service are eligible for jobs in government departments. We will ensure that these job aspirants receive their due rights.”
It is pertinent to note that SRO-43 was replaced by a new compassionate appointment policy, which took effect on January 1, 2023. However, there are still a number of cases pending under the previous law that have been unresolved for years.

KR Desk