Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met a 24 member delegation from Jammu & Kashmir’s  Apni Party led by Shri Altaf Bukhari at Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi today.

In an interactive session, Prime Minister called for Janbhagidari in transforming Jammu & Kashmir and emphasized on the importance of an administration that gives voice to the people. Prime Minister also noted that the democracy in the region could be strengthened through a fast moving process of political integration.

Speaking on youth empowerment, Prime Minister said that youth should act as catalytic agents for the development of Jammu & Kashmir. He highlighted the importance of skill development and creating new employment opportunities for the youth to bring in an overall transformation of Jammu & Kashmir.

Prime Minister assured the delegation that the government is committed to economic development of the region through extensive focus on infrastructure development and creating new investment opportunities in sectors like tourism. He assured full support by the government to resolve all the issues being faced by Jammu & Kashmir.

Prime Minister engaged with the delegation on various issues like concerns on demographic changes, delimitation exercise and grant of state domicile. Referring to his statement in Parliament, Prime Minister underlined that the Government will work with all sections of the population to realize the hopes of state hood for Jammu and Kashmir at an early opportunity.

Apni Party President Shri Altaf Bukhari noted that 5th of August 2019, when the decision to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35-A was taken, was a watershed moment in the history of Jammu & Kashmir.

The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for his unstinted support and untiring efforts towards the development of Jammu & Kashmir. They also appreciated the efforts of the government, security agencies and the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards maintaining peace and security in the region.