Kashmir Magazine By : Kashmir Magazine | Srinagar, Publication Date: Friday, September 11, 2020 2:12:50 PM | Updated Date : Friday, September 11, 2020 2:12:50 PM
An influential industrialist turned politician, one time troubleshooter for late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, a joint chief ministerial candidate for an Adhoc but historic PDP-NC-Congress alliance, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari enjoys these envious reputations for his unique propinquity with all circles and shades of the political spectrum. Bukhari heads Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) that was formed by a significant number of politicians having different political backgrounds. In an exclusive chat with Executive Editor Kashmir Magazine Zahid Maqbool , Altaf Bukhari explains the reasons behind formation of JKAP and being vocal about the rights of people of J&K.
Following are the excerpts from this brief interview:
Q: What was the need to form a new political party in J&K?
AB: See, we live in a democracy. And there is no bar on formation of new political parties. As far as the formation of JKAP is concerned, I have stated it many times before that we were a like-minded group who were fed up with the traditional style of politics in J&K.
Our people have always been exploited with symbolism and election campaign pledges. So the conventional wisdom held that politicians can’t be trusted to keep their promises. And to a large extent that public assumption holds ground because of the lofty promises made by political parties in J&K, which were never fulfilled even during their stints in power.
We always felt this frustration among the public and its detestation towards mainstream politics. In an effort to fill this political vacuum, we chalked out an alternative for our people, pledging to fight only for whatever was achievable. This pragmatic political conviction became the bedrock for the formation of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party.
Q: What is the core agenda of your party?
AB: Our party has a clear vision on all aspects of socio-economic and political empowerment of people of J&K. But the core agenda of Apni Party revolves around the restoration of Statehood, Domicile Rights on land and jobs for the residents of J&K and equitable development of all regions and sub-regions of the State on modern-day requirements.
Q: You talked about restoration of Statehood. Is there any breakthrough on this account so far?
AB: We believe that people in J&K had not realized the embodiment of Statehood before August 5, 2019. For JKAP the Statehood is a reference to the glorious past and a privilege for solidification of the idea of pluralism and respectful coexistence in Jammu and Kashmir which was unique among all the States in the country.
You know, from day one, JKAP has been relentlessly in pursuit of securing special rights and privileges for the people of J&K at all forums available to us. Let me tell you that we have met the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister submitting our memorandum of demands and first and foremost demand was about restoration of Statehood to J&K.
We have vigorously put forth this demand and we are of firm belief that it will be fulfilled very soon as per the commitment of the country’s top leadership on the floor of Parliament. Need of the hour is that the government of India should restore the Statehood to J&K at an earliest so that the people of this State become masters of their own fate.
Q: On one side you are said to be very close to power corridors in New Delhi and on the other hand you have been vociferous and critical to various government policies in J&K. Please explain a little bit about this public perception.
AB: Raising public issues and being critical to anti-people policies is a spectacular and cherishable right in a democracy. You remain faithful to your conscience and the people when you remain impartial and do justice with your position.
As I told you earlier, our party believes in practical politics and it hardly matters whether you are in power or in opposition. And it also doesn’t matter whether you are close to power corridors or not. The pragmatism in politics warrants us to speak and fight for issues of public importance and not to bother about consequences.
Let me assure you that taking reins of power or being close to power corridors will never deter me or my party from preventing the regimes from implementing policies which are detrimental to the public interest.
Q: You have been critical of the new Domicile rules vis-à-vis qualifying period for a person to become Domicile of J&K. What was it all about?
AB: Our party expressed displeasure with regard to the period for becoming a domicile in J&K. We are thankful to the union home minister for protecting our right to jobs. But we will continue to demand that the qualifying period for becoming a domicile in J&K should be at least 25 years.
Similarly, on land ownership rights, we believe that there should be no colonisers. No agricultural land should be allowed to be bought by non-domicile people. There should be a ceiling on how much land one can purchase in J&K.
Q: Almost all political mainstream leaders have been released by now. You have been vehemently demanding their release. Any special reasons?
AB: JKAP was constantly demanding that all detainees under preventive detention including popular political leaders be released. We demand that all political workers who are still under preventive custody and have been lodged outside J&K should be immediately shifted to J&K and released subsequently. Similarly, a compassionate policy needs to be framed regarding detainees jailed under PSA. This can be a big confidence-building measure.
I personally believe that politics is all about tolerance for ideas of your opponents. You can agree or disagree but any kind of disagreement should not mean that you will silence your political opponents by putting curbs on their movement. This is against the rights guaranteed by our constitution.
We would like the central government to help J&K youth in this regard. Opening of new avenues through liberal investment in different economic sectors would eventually, generate employment opportunities for our youth who want to earn a dignified livelihood and live in peace.
Q: You have voiced your concern on possible demographic changes in J&K. Could you please explain your stand on this issue?
AB: See there are some genuine apprehensions with regard to demographic transformation in J&K. We want the intervention of the country's top leadership in dispelling such notions which will eventually reduce the gulf between the people of two regions in this State. The majority community of J&K is apprehensive of disempowerment and this misgiving needs to be removed by none other than the Prime Minister himself.
Q: What about the Delimitation Commission which has been constituted recently?
AB: The public opinion that adjustment of boundaries and description of the extent of parliamentary or assembly constituencies has been thrust to pit Jammu against Kashmir for some political mileage needs to be addressed by the leadership of the country.
Similarly, the functioning of Delimitation Commission should be fair and transparent and if the number of seats of assembly or parliamentary segments is to be increased the same should be carried out rationally and not thrust on people in an arbitrary fashion. I think at least seven seats should be reserved by the Delimitation Commission to fill the gap between people and the government.
Q: What do you think about elections? When is J&K going for assembly polls now?
AB: See once the Delimitation process is over, I think there would be murmurs about holding elections in J&K. I want to tell the people of J&K that they should rise up to this occasion. We have to get our Statehood back and once it is restored there should be immediate elections. Getting our Statehood back should be the precondition for holding elections in J&K.
Q: Do you think the government of India has been selective in its approach on implementation of laws in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370. Like there are certain laws which are yet to be implemented in J&K, while the people of other states take full benefits from those laws. What is your opinion about these double standards?
AB: I know you are talking about certain union laws and laws governing Union territory that are beneficial to the public which are yet to be enforced in J&K. Let me tell you that we have not only raised this issue in the public domain but we have properly mentioned this issue in our charter of demands submitted to the government of India. We have been assured that there will be no selective approach in the enforcement of laws. The union home minister has himself assured us that he will ensure applicability of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir and address the issue accordingly.
Q: In the history of the annual Darbar move, the government has for the first time bifurcated the civil secretariat, retaining some major offices in Jammu and shifted some offices to Srinagar. What in your opinion has compelled the government to take such a decision?
AB: I think this is a mockery and cruel joke with people of both the divisions of J&K. Retaining some offices in Jammu and shifting some offices to Srinagar instead of full Darbar Move is a deliberate attempt to create administrative anarchy in Jammu and Kashmir. It seems this government decision was aimed at keeping a section of officers and employees in good humour. But in the long run, this decision will have serious ramifications for the interests of people.
Also, the officers in civil secretariat or in the field who are natives of J&K have been assigned insignificant postings while the officers from outside J&K who have a faint idea about the local culture, needs and problems are enjoying plum positions. This is in a way a deliberate attempt to turn J&K into an administrative minority which means the officers from outside J&K would come and rule the roost.
I fail to understand that it was said that Article 370 was an impediment in the development of Jammu and Kashmir then please suggest one example of development J&K has witnessed after its abrogation? This means it is not the laws, but the people who implement them that really matters. Bureaucratic wrangling and red-tapism have always been impediments in the development of J&K. We need to think over it.
Q: You have many times demanded special financial packages for various economic sectors. Do you believe these packages reach the stakeholders in J&K?
AB: See J&K’s economy was already in recession due to multiple factors, particularly the law and order situation. This dismal economic scenario worsened since August 5, 2019. Industries, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts, transport, hotel industry and all other allied sectors are reeling under tremendous distress. Absence of a practicable mechanism to support the stakeholders of these sectors is still missing.
JKAP demands the central government needs to go for a liberal economic package to boost all these sectors of the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Fiscal incentives, interest subvention, tax exemptions, Kisan Credit loans waiver can be some major confidence-building measures in this regard. And I believe that times have changed and the government at the centre is serious in rebuilding the lost trust and confidence of stakeholders of the J & K economy.
Q: You have been one of the successful public works ministers in J&K. Don’t you think the government of India has miserably failed in developing a dependable National Highway connecting Kashmir division with rest of the country in the last over seven decades? Similarly, the work on railway connectivity between Kashmir with the rest of the country still seems a distant dream. What is your take on this?
AB: See when we met the union home minister last time, one of the demands we raised was about the road, railway and air connectivity problems faced by the people of J&K. I completely agree with you on this account. The government of India has miserably failed to develop an all-weather and dependable National Highway between Srinagar and Jammu. This is otherwise the only land connectivity between the people of Kashmir with the rest of the country.
Last when JKAP delegation called on the union home minister, he assured us that development of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway which has been a source of perpetual distress for the people of Kashmir region will be taken up on urgent basis.
He had also affirmed that the cap on airfare will be also taken up with the concerned ministry and similarly construction of tunnels to connect different regions of Jammu and Kashmir would be taken up on priority.
On railway connectivity between Kashmir and rest of the country, we believe that the hurdles will be removed very soon. I hope and believe that the union home minister will deliver on his promises made with us on the development of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and other inter-regional connectivity links on fast track basis.
The Mughal road has to be kept as an alternative route for fruit and vegetable transportation. Road connectivity is also a major problem for our farmers of R. S.Pura who produce Basmati but can’t get it properly marketed.
Q: You have been education, R&B and finance minister in the past. Even as a former minister for public works, people still remember you for the development of roads in your tenure. Do you think there is something missing in governance on the ground nowadays?
AB: First of all, there is no popular government in J&K. And whenever there is no popular government in place, it is the bureaucrats who take decisions and supervise the implementation of those decisions as well. In such a scenario the element of accountability remains missing. Elected governments are accountable before the public and they know that if they don’t deliver they would not return to power again.
I don’t deny that developmental works are not going on under the present dispensation led by Lieutenant Governor but there is visible administrative inertia which is eating into vitals of the governance in J&K. People are suffering for want of basic amenities like roads, water, electricity, drainage, street lights and so on and so forth.
Since the J&K was reduced to a union territory, a section of senior officers in the civil secretariat has become divided into groups and they report to their respective mentors. This lobbyism, I think, has resulted in a dent to governance in J&K. Some officers enjoying proximity in the power corridors at the Centre think they are unaccountable before the present regime in J&K. This issue needs to be addressed by the home ministry on priority.
Q: What is your plan to revive tourism and horticulture in J&K?
AB: Tourism has to be revived. In the tourism sector, people should be given one-time interest-free loans to maintain their properties. At least 50 per cent of their cost must be borne for three years. They should be able to keep their properties intact till tourism returns to J&K. There will have to be airfare protection. It should not be such that people prefer to go abroad then come here.
To start with, first of all, the horticulture sector should be compensated for the losses due to snowfall, which was the worst since 30 years. We will have to subsidise the transport cost also. Market intervention scheme introduced last year was an utter failure. It should be planned well in advance and we should see that payments are made immediately on receipt of the consignment.
Q: There are over a lakh daily wagers, daily rated workers, contingency paid, consolidated workers, need-based employees who are awaiting regularization. What does JKAP think about this vast section of hapless employees of J&K?
AB: Daily wagers and other employees you just mentioned are suffering immensely for the last over three decades. They must be regularised without any precondition since they have served for decades. This should also apply to employees of the J&K Bank who are facing termination because of none of their fault.
Government recently removed engaged people from the Information and Public Relations Department. They were selected after following proper procedure and guidelines. Why were they removed? They must be taken back.
Q: Since you were yourself a prominent industrialist, don’t you think this sector is suffering from perpetual sickness in J&K and no concrete measures are being taken by the government to revive this important economic sector?
AB: The J&K industrial policy 2016, though with many loopholes, had ensured viability of the local industrial units including micro, small, medium and large in view of the geographical and economical limitations faced by the unit holders.
The inevitable cost of achieving competitive efficiency which is being projected by the government cannot be applied to J&K unitholders who are not in a position to compete with their counterparts from the rest of the country. This is true with all Micro, Small, Medium and Large industrial enterprises in J&K.
I think the industrial unit-holders in the rest of the country are far more ahead in terms of availability of raw material, cheap labour costs, uninterrupted power supply and constant working allowances. While as in contrast, the J&K unit holders work only for a few months in a year and most of the time especially in Kashmir valley these units’ remains shut. Besides, the J&K unitholders have a limited market and primarily depend on government tenders. In my opinion, the government of India should not equate J&K unit holders with their counterparts from the rest of the country when there is a huge difference between the parameters of industrial feasibility.
The government should accord preference to the J&K unit holders in extending incentives or otherwise the local unit holders here will have no other option but to close their units rendering lakhs of skilled and unskilled youth unemployed in both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir.
To sum it up, what I want to say is that the industrial sector in J&K needs protection. We are at the tail end of this vast country. If we become a producing state, the entire country will be a market for us. Whatever industries we set up should be able to compete. If somebody sets up an industry in Kathua and somebody sets up industry in Karnah, both should be able to compete in Delhi.
If an industrialist in Kathua gets ‘X’ as a subsidy, the man in Karnah must get ‘X plus’. Unless industry gets the protection it cannot flourish. Protection for trade and industry must be a basket of everything