J&K: Apni Party urges Centre for general amnesty for cases dating back to 1990

Bukhari said that since the people of Jammu and Kashmir have now chosen the path of peace and normalcy, everyone who had been misled in the past should be forgiven and given an opportunity to lead a normal life

Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday urged the government of India to announce a general amnesty for all those who had been involved in anti-national activities during the 1990s and thereafter.

Bukhari said that people had hoped that the elected government would ensure justice and address their grievances, but those expectations had been betrayed. (HT)

Bukhari said that since the people of Jammu and Kashmir have now chosen the path of peace and normalcy, everyone who had been misled in the past should be forgiven and given an opportunity to lead a normal life.

“During the 1990s, some of our youth were misled into following a narrative that went against the peace and stability of the country. However, the situation has changed now. Many of those people have returned to the mainstream, and even the children and grandchildren of the leaders who were active at that time are now joining the mainstream,” Bukhari said while addressing a press conference.

Bukhari appealed Prime Minister and the Union home minister to consider granting a general amnesty to all such people and provide them with an opportunity to fully reintegrate into mainstream society. “FIRs have been registered against these individuals, causing them continued hardship. Due to these cases, many of them are unable to secure government or private employment or obtain passports, which has adversely affected their ability to lead normal lives.”

Bukhari expressed concern over the denial of police verification certificates to many young people who require them to secure jobs and obtain passports. “The denial of these certificates is creating unnecessary hurdles for youngsters seeking employment and opportunities to build a better future. Many youngsters were being denied police verification certificates because some of their family members had been involved in the turmoil of the 1990s.”

Bukhari expressed concern over the existing reservation policy, describing it as unjust and detrimental to merit and warned that if the policy continued in its present form, a situation could arise where Kashmiri youth would find themselves increasingly excluded from job opportunities across Jammu and Kashmir, saying that nearly 70% of the posts were reserved for various categories.

“The existing reservation policy is particularly unfair to the people of Kashmir, who had already suffered immensely over the past several decades. Two lakh Kashmiris lie buried in graveyards, thousands are languishing in jails, and now people are being deprived of even employment opportunities. An unjust reservation policy amounts to a violation of human rights,” he said.

Bukhari said that people had hoped that the elected government would ensure justice and address their grievances, but those expectations had been betrayed. He expressed concern over the continued delay in holding panchayat and urban local bodies (ULB) elections in Jammu and Kashmir, terming it a denial of people’s democratic and constitutional rights.