In a candid interview with GKWEBTV, Altaf Bukhari, the President of Apni Party, didn’t mince words as he squarely placed blame on the Union Territory administration for the prevailing power crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. Drawing on his experience as a former finance minister in the PDP-BJP government of the erstwhile state, Bukhari characterized the current power shortage as a ‘collective punishment.’
Bukhari highlighted that the absence of widespread protests against power shortage doesn’t negate the genuine sufferings of the people. He emphasized that the reluctance to protest should not be misconstrued as an absence of hardship; rather, it reflects a hesitancy among the population to confront potential repercussions from security forces. “They [people] don’t want to get hauled up by the security forces,” said Bukhari.
Bukhari criticised the current administration for its lack of preparedness and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally intervene to address the worsening situation.