President, Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday welcomed the amendment to the new ‘domicile order’ reserving all groups of jobs—Gazetted and non-Gazetted— for J&K residents. Bukhari, however, pledged to continue JKAP efforts “to get the domicile order revisited in its entirety to remove the remaining loopholes till it satisfies the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” a party handout said.
Extending gratitude to Union Home Minster Amit Shah andNational Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the JKAP president said “their personalintervention has made the much needed amendments to domicile law possible in avery short span of time”.
“I highly appreciate the Home Minister and the NationalSecurity Advisor for understanding the genuine reservations put forth by thepeople of J&K vis-à-vis the new order defining domicile law in the matterof employment for Jammu and Kashmir. Their timely intervention made therequisite safeguards possible,” he said.
Conveying his deep gratitude to the people, especially theyouth of Jammu and Kashmir for “uniting behind the same cause for the firsttime in the recent history”, Bukhari said: “By this exemplary gesture, theyouth of both regions of Jammu and Kashmir have ensured the domicile right onjobs is an exclusive privilege which cannot be shared with non natives.”
“The spirit and show of unity by the people in contestingthe shortcomings in new domicile order should continue till this law isreframed as per our collective aspirations,” Bukhari said.
The JKAP president avowed to continue his party’s struggletill the other “hostile sections” in the law like mandatory tenure fornon-natives to reside in J&K and cut off dates to qualify for the domicile,are “rectified” as per the demands of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Let me assure the people that our party would continue withits efforts to get this law revisited in its entirety especially with regard tothe qualifying period for domicile and eligibility criteria determined for thenon residents of J&K,” he added.
Bukhari appealed all the political parties to “rise to theoccasion and jointly fight” for the rights of residents of Jammu and Kashmir.”We can have differences with each other on political grounds but I think it isnot an appropriate time for mudslinging on each other. Let us rise to thechallenge and jointly fight for the rights of the people of J&K leavingbehind egos and politics and ensure that the avoidable deprivation is notallowed to lead to further alienation of our youth,” Bukhari in the statement said.