Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 2

Apni Party on Tuesday said the idea of political unity among parties in Jammu and Kashmir had long been advocated by the party and welcomed any initiative aimed at advancing the region’s interests through collective engagement.

In a statement, the party’s chief spokesman and state secretary, Muntazir Mohiuddin, said the proposal for political unity in the larger interest of Jammu and Kashmir was originally promoted by the Apni Party.

“We have consistently appealed for political parties to come together and collectively advocate for the rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mohiuddin said.

He said the party would support any genuine effort towards political unity regardless of who initiated it, provided it served the interests of the region’s people.

The remarks came after former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti called for broader political unity among parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mohiuddin said that although the Apni Party had not been included in Mufti’s proposal, the party still welcomed the initiative.

He reiterated the party’s longstanding position that all political parties should jointly engage with the central government and collectively present the demands and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Referring to previous attempts at collective engagement, Mohiuddin said the party’s proposal had received support in 2023 when Farooq Abdullah announced an all-party meeting, but the gathering was later postponed and never held.

He also cited comments made by Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari during a public convention in Jammu last month, where Bukhari urged political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir to draw lessons from the collective approach adopted by leaders in Ladakh and Kargil while engaging with the Centre.

Mohiuddin said the Apni Party had played a significant role in engaging with the central government following the 2019 abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, and claimed those efforts helped safeguard protections related to land ownership and government employment in Jammu and Kashmir.

Criticising Mufti for excluding the Apni Party from her appeal for political unity, Mohiuddin said such an approach was not conducive to building broader consensus at a time when a united political voice was needed.

Despite those differences, he said, the party remained committed to supporting any sincere initiative aimed at fostering unity among political parties and advancing the rights and interests of Jammu and Kashmir.