Apni Party to launch in Kashmir on Sunday

 Former Peoples Democratic Party minister Altaf Bukhari is set to announce a new political party 'Apni Party' in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

"Yes the formal announcement will be made on Sunday," Bukhari told IANS.

Bukhari was the first mainstream politician in Kashmir who said publicly that Kashmiris cannot perpetually mourn the abrogation of Article 370. He said time has come to strive for achievable political objectives.

In January, Bukhari-led delegation presented a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu listing measures for the revival of political activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

They demanded restoration of statehood and domicile rights for the residents of J&K.

The emergence of a new political parry is seen as a first major political push in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.

Many prominent faces including former PDP legislators are likely to join the new party.

The new party is being launched at a time when top leadership of traditional Kashmir based political parties - the PDP and the National Conference including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are detained under the stringent PSA or the Public Safety Act. IANS