Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader Ghulam Hassan Mir on Thursday expressed deep concern over the governance deficit in J&K which, he said, has added to the sufferings of people.
Addressing a meeting of party workers from Batmaloo constituency at JKAP office here, Mir said the Lt. Governor’s rule can never be a replacement to an elected government.
“One of the most important roles of Peoples’ representatives in a popular government is to promote greater responsiveness and accountability to citizens and reflecting citizens’ voice in local public service delivery. This important benefit of a democratic set up is presently missing in J&K,” he said.
Mir said people across both divisions of J&K were facing lot of problems due to no-existence of an elected government.
Stressing on the need for restoration of statehood to J&K, the JKAP leader said the government of India as per its promise made by Union Home Minister on the floor of Parliament should restore the statehood in order to address growing disconnect between people and the apparatus of governance.
He said there was a general feeling among people of J&K about absence of a credible voice that could take up their issues and get them sorted out.
Expressing concern over the recent political killings in J&K, Mir said the political ecosystem of Kashmir needs to be safeguarded for the larger interests of democratic process.
“The government must take concrete measures to address the issues and problems faced by political activists who along with their families have become soft targets of mindless violence,” Mir said.
Addressing the meeting, JKAP senior leader Muhammad Ashraf Mir appreciated the role of party President, Altaf Bukhari in highlighting the plight of lakhs of families who were directly or indirectly involved with extraction, lifting and processing of minor minerals across J&K.
Other party leaders who spoke on the occasion included Abdul Majeed Padroo, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Noor Muhammad Sheikh, Muntazir Mohi-u-Din, Farooq Andrabi, Irfan Naqeeb, Mushtaq Ahmad, Muzaffar Ahmad Reshi, Imtiyaz Rather, Khursheed Malik, Haron Rashid and Showkat Mir.
Meanwhile, members of the party today staged a protest demonstration in Jammu in support of the aspiring coaches whose interviews were still not conducted for the posts advertised in 2016 despite High Court directions.
Led by senior youth leader, Raqeeq Ahmed Khan, the JKAP members assembled at the Exhibition Ground near Press Club Jammu and protested against J&K Sports Council for their failure to conduct interviews in the last four years.
The JKAP leaders threatened if the recruitment process was not started within 10 days, they will be forced to launch agitation in favour of the coaches waiting for their interviews.
“These coaches who were interviewed but their selection process was not complete despite directions from the J&K High Court, have been left high and dry,” said Khan. Adding the J&K State Sports Council had advertised the posts in 2016, and the recruitment process was had to be completed by April 2018.