Key Takeaways
- Apni Party promises to restore statehood and provide 500 units of free power per month per household in Kashmir and Jammu regions.
- The party vows to protect land and job security for local youth and address the people’s sense of loss.
- Apni Party will work to restore the powers of the Cabinet and Chief Minister, recently transferred to the Lieutenant Governor.
Srinagar: Apni Party on Wednesday released the manifesto for the next month Assembly election, promising to strive for restoration of statehood, constitutional guarantee to preserve special identity of J&K and revisit and restore laws that were withdrawn after the abrogation of Article 370.
The party also promised the provision of 500 units of free electricity for Kashmir and Jammu regions.
Apni Party’s general secretary, Rafi Ahmad Mir, emphasized the importance of restoring repealed and amended laws, promising to revisit and restore all laws that were withdrawn or amended over time.
He said that the party would also strive for land and job protection for the people of J&K.
“Our party will secure constitutional guarantees for the protection of land and job security for local youth,” Mir said.
“We will work tirelessly to restore statehood, as promised by the Hon’ble Home Minister of India on August 5, 2019,” the Apni party leader said.
The party promised that it will press for constitutional guarantees to preserve the culture and special identity of Jammu and Kashmir, similar to the provisions of Article 371 in some northeastern states.
“This includes land and job protection, addressing the people’s sense of loss,” he said.
Mir said they will release detainees and withdraw of cases against youth.
“With the situation returning to normal, the Apni Party will leave no stone unturned to secure the early release of detainees not involved in heinous crimes. We will ensure the establishment of a fast-track board to review and dispose of cases for those languishing in jails under the Public Safety Act (PSA) even after their imprisonment terms have expired.
Cases against teenagers detained in the summer of 2016, now adults, will also be withdrawn to enable them to pursue government jobs without hindrance. Apni Party will ensure one time amnesty for all the detainees with a cut off date ending August 2025 on production of an affidavit attested from court,” he said.
Mir said the Party will work to restore the powers of the Cabinet and Chief Minister, recently transferred to the Lieutenant Governor.
On Developmental front, it said the Apni Party will provide 500 units of free power per month per household in Kashmir during winter (October to March) and in Jammu during summer (April to September).
“We will also seek the transfer of hydel projects run by the NHPC, currently generating power by harnessing the Chenab River’s waters, to Jammu and Kashmir. This will address the poor power situation by making full power production available locally,” he said.
On youth employment, Apni Party promised to create job opportunities in the tourism and industrial sectors.
Apni Party was formed by Altaf Bukhari months after the Centre abrogated Article 370 in August 2019. The party has been struggling to emerge as a political force in J&K. The party faced humiliating defeat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls and its candidates lost their security deposit.
Several leaders of Apni Party Usman Majid, Zaffar Manhas, Noor Mohammad and Choudhary Zulfikar have quit the party.
The Apni Party is accused by the rivals in Jammu and Kashmir of being a “proxy” of the BJP. However, the party has been denying any such link with BJP.
