Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 17: Apni Party vice president and former MLC, Zaffar Iqbal Manhas has urged the Union Government to hold Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir without any further delay.
A press release said that Manhas presided over and addressed an impressive party meeting in South Kashmir’s Pulwama. The meeting was convened to gauge the present political scenario in the Valley and to evaluate the performance of the party in the Southern districts.
On this occasion, Apni Party, vice president urged the party leaders and senior workers to gear up for the upcoming Assembly elections.
He said, “We are expecting Assembly polls in J&K anytime in the near future, and we must be ready to face all sorts of challenges coming our way.”
He advised the district-level leaders to stay connected with the masses at the grassroot level. He said, “You must intensify your political activities and public outreach in order to remain connected with the people in your respective areas.”
Urging New Delhi to hold Assembly elections without any further delay, Manhas said, “India is considered the largest democracy in the world and in democracies people have the right to elect their own representatives to serve them in Government. J&K people should not be deprived of this Constitutional right any further,” he added.
“It is a matter of grave concern and embarrassment that at a time when our country is preparing to host the prestigious G20 Summit, J&K is without an elected Government and grappling for the restoration of its Statehood.” he said.
Taking a dig at the constant Governments at the Centre, Manhas said, “It is a sad fact that Jammu and Kashmir has always had a tailored democracy, which has eventually caused alienation to the people here. To manage the matters here, New Delhi has made experiments in the name of democracy, and as a result, the people of this region are yet to reap the benefits of real democracy and democratic values.”
Besides, Manhas and Mir, the prominent leaders who were present in the meeting included BDC Pompore Mir Altaf, Tajala Andrabi, and others.
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