Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Altaf Bukhari on Monday said that if the Centre does not restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, his party will not hesitate to hit the streets.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion of the first foundation day anniversary of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Bukhari said the Central government reversed several orders in Jammu and Kashmir post Article 370 amendment on the request of the party.
He said, "Most of the orders that common people were unhappy with were reversed by the Central government after the Apni Party intervened, which is a matter of pride for us."
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"Article 370 and Article 35-A were not just numbers for us. They were a reflection of our emotions and sentiments. However, only Parliament or the Supreme Court can restore these provisions," he said.
Bukhari enlisted several decisions taken by the Centre as his fledgeling party's successes in the past year including reserving all jobs in Jammu and Kashmir for domiciles of the union territory.
"When we learnt that only class four jobs have been reserved for domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir, we met the prime minister and home minister. The next day all the jobs were reserved for domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir," Bukhari said.
When asked about the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari said, "Both PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah have promised to restore the statehood of J&K and we are hopeful that it will be fulfilled. If not, we won't hesitate to hit the streets against the Centre."
The Apni Party was founded on March 8, 2020, nearly eight months after the Centre scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. The state was divided into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
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