Jammu, 31 August (H.S.): Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari today said Kashmiri Pandits should return to their homes in the Valley, saying that Kashmir is as safe or unsafe for them as it is for Kashmiri Muslims.

Speaking at a party workers' convention at a Convention Centre here, Bukhari said Kashmiri Pandits are an important part of Kashmir's composite society. We miss them. We want them to come back to their homes as soon as possible, he said.

Bukhari said a discussion about Habakkadal would be incomplete without mentioning Kashmiri Pandits. I do not think we would have been complete or done justice to the people of Habakkadal without talking about them, he said.

On Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's call for political parties to work for restoration of Statehood and Article 370, Bukhari said he welcomed the statement but asked Mirwaiz to follow it with action. I see Mirwaiz's statement very positively, but he will have to follow up this statement with practical steps, he said.

Bukhari said Mirwaiz could guide people without entering electoral politics and urged him to meet people and explain what they should do.

He said the Apni Party had been strengthening its organization at the grassroots level for the past year and held the convention to expand its reach and encourage workers. We came here to increase our reach and to give courage to the people. We came here to tell our workers that the party is with you, Bukhari said. He said, This is the beginning. We have sown our seeds here. Inshallah, the harvest will be good, he added.

Bukhari also said politicians should promise only what they can deliver. The truth is that what is possible, we should tell everyone what is possible. I never say anything that is not true, he said.

On National Conference leader Ruhullah Mehdi's announcement that he would resign in November, Bukhari said it is too early to comment. Why are you asking me today? If you are in such a hurry, ask me on the day when he will resign. Who knows what will happen till then? he said.

However, Bukhari called Mehdi's position principled and said he expected him to stick to it.

Bukhari also said his party had faced setbacks for speaking what it believes is the truth, including during the 2024 elections. We have taken so many beatings for it. You have seen it yourself. The media has seen it, he said.

He urged people to overcome fear and said those opposed to peace posed a threat to everyone. I tell them to remove this fear from their hearts once. We have also removed the fear. That is why we are sitting here, Bukhari said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar