J&K Apni Party in talks with Hurriyat leaders to join party: sources

JKAP opens channels of comm. with Hurriyat leader to join party; Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al Safavi likely to be announced soon; Masroor Ansari says denial & deviation from party principles not acceptable; Imran Ansari says future of J&K lies with India. #Hurriyat #JKAP #MainstreamPolitics #India

The J&K Apni Party (JKAP) has opened channels of communication with a senior separatist leader, associated with the Hurriyat, to join the party in Srinagar. 

Sources within the JKAP confirmed to The Hindu that party president Altaf Bukhari met senior separatist leaders, including Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat from the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat and Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al Safavi, a senior Shia leader from the Hurriyat once headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in the recent past.

Sources said the JKAP is likely to formally announce the entry of the Aga, an influential Shia leader, in the coming days. When contacted, the Aga, also the president of the J&K Anjuman-E-Sharie Shian, did not respond.

Also Read | Promise to reverse decisions not in interests of J&K people if voted to power: Apni Party’s Altaf Bukhari

Without naming anyone, Hurriyat leader Masroor Ansari, who heads the Ittihadul Muslimeen, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), said denial and deviation from the fundamental principles of our organisation was not acceptable under any circumstances. 

“We are committed to save the credibility of the party and the principles of our Late founder in particular. Any person holding any position will be thrown out from the party if he acts contrary to the organisational constitution and fundamental rules,” Mr. Ansari, a prominent Shia leader, said.

It is for the first time that a Hurriyat leader will join mainstream politics since the Centre ended J&K’s special constitutional position in 2019 in case the Aga joins the JKAP.