Suhail Khan
Srinagar, June 12: Senior leader of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party Ghulam Hassan Mir Friday said that his party has already started the political process and there was no offer from Government of India with regard to any political process.
However he said that the party is vociferously demanding release of political prisoners and a rehabilitation package for the affected.
The former agriculture minister of erstwhile J&K State, told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that there was no offer on table from the Government of India (GoI) with regard to any political process or “something else”.
“I don’t understand what the definition of the political process for the media is. For me, we have already started a full-fledged political process as we are demanding release of all political prisoners, rehabilitation package for all the affected groups in Kashmir besides restoration of statehood,” Mir said, adding, “if this isn’t the political process what is it then. There is no question of getting offers from GoI. Why would they offer us and what for?”
Mir said that as a matured political party, they are not going with a “begging bowl” to New Delhi for any offer or space. “Every political party has its agenda, so have we. We are following our agenda and there is no need to seek a space. We will create our own space,” he said.
Asked whether there was any significant change in the situation post rollback of Article 370 in J&K, the veteran politician said that it’s true that there was no violence post abrogation of special status of J&K, but the credit for that must be given to the people who didn’t opt for any sort of violence. “People preferred to remain silent and not to resort to any violent activity,” said Mir.
As far as the development of J&K post article 370 rollback, Mir said: “There is no development taking place on ground. Mamla jo ka toun hai (There is a status quo as far as development),” he asserted. “I don’t see any development taking place in Kashmir or Jammu.”
To a query whether rumours about J&K Apni Party chief Syed Altaf Bukhari being given a post of Chief Ministership or the head of Advisory Council, Mir said: “That was all media hype. There was no truth in the rumours. Media men created hype themselves and then downplayed the same themselves too.”(KINS)
