Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Aug 15
Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari called on the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday to withdraw cases against young people, arguing that a fresh start was necessary to rebuild trust and achieve lasting peace and social stability.
Speaking to reporters during Independence Day celebrations at his party headquarters in Srinagar, Bukhari said the region’s young people and elderly residents who had been called to or kept at police stations should have been allowed to participate in the national celebrations.
He said they were part of society and should be helped to return to normal family and community life.
Bukhari proposed withdrawing cases against youth, potentially subject to a condition that no new complaint be registered against them for five years.
He said providing young people with a fresh start could help heal past wounds, rebuild trust and contribute to a more stable Jammu and Kashmir.
Bukhari also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of free online coaching for competitive examinations, saying coaching costs placed a burden on poor and middle-class families.
He urged the J&K government to adopt a similar approach by waiving examination fees for recruitment and selection processes conducted by its agencies.
The cost, he suggested, should be met from the J&K education budget to reduce the financial burden on unemployed young people seeking government jobs.
Bukhari also called for adequate compensation for people affected by recent natural disasters.
He said the government had a responsibility to provide meaningful assistance to families that had suffered losses and suggested that wider public participation could supplement official relief efforts.
Referring to the region’s charitable traditions, Bukhari said resources could be channelled more effectively towards disaster victims and argued that support should be extended regardless of a person’s location or background.
“When tragedy strikes, we should stand together as one society,” he said, adding that no family affected by a natural disaster should be left to deal with the consequences alone.
