Amit Shah chairs meet with J&K's Apni Party delegation

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with a delegation from Jammu and Kashmir's Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari, at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Union Home Secretary AK Bhalla and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday chaired a meeting with a delegation from Jammu and Kashmir's Apni Party and discussed issues like concerns on demographic changes in the erstwhile state, delimitation exercise and grant of state domicile there, official sources said.

A delegation-led by Altaf Bukhari met the Home Minister at his North Block office.

The meeting began at around 10 a.m. and was attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other senior Home Ministry officials.

The Apni Party delegation, including its leader Bukhari and 23 other members, had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for around two hours on Saturday evening.

The outfit, including political leaders from a wide spectrum but all considered traditionally close to New Delhi, was launched on March 8.

At the launch in Srinagar, the Apni Party said it was willing to move beyond Article 370 and engage with New Delhi.

Mainstream politics in the Valley has been in a state of paralysis since August 5, when the Centre scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and split it into two Union territories, and put the top leadership in detention.

With the government keen to re-start the political process in Kashmir in a bid to bring normalcy, the Apni Party is seen to have its support.

IANS Report