Altaf Bukhari forced to delete his tweet on death penalty for Yasin Malik [here's why]

Amid intense debate over the decision of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to seek the death penalty for the chairman of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik, president of the Apni Party Altaf Bukhari deleted his earlier tweet and followed the line of other Kashmir centric parties as a damage control exercise.

Within hours after his tweet on Saturday evoked a strong reaction from soft-separatist and separatist groups of Kashmir Valley, Altaf Bukhari deleted his earlier tweet and posted another tweet in favour of Yasin Malik.

"NIA is trying to be more hasty by approaching Delhi's High Court for the death penalty in the case of Yasin Malik. Everyone deserves justice, we want justice no innocent should be trapped and no guilty should be spared. Yasin Malik's case should be re-investigated. As we are already suffering from a dark phase after removal of 370 and statehood", Altaf Bukhari tweeted as a damage control exercise.

Earlier Bukhari emphasized deterrent measures

Altaf Bukhari earlier on Saturday said deterrent measures should be taken against those who are trying to threaten national security.

"NIA's plea demanding the death penalty for Yasin Malik highlights the urgency to address militant funding in Jammu and Kashmir. We must ensure justice prevails and deterrent measures should be taken against those who are trying to threaten our nation's security," Bukhari said.

Mehbooba dubs Bukhari as "political Ikhwan"

Seizing every opportunity to attack her former party colleague for, what she alleged, "betraying PDP ex-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti wasted no time in attacking Altaf Bukhari for defending the plea of the NIA", Mehbooba Mufti dubbed Bukhari as a "political Ikhwan". She hailed convicted jailed JKLF chairman Yasin Malik as a "political prisoner".

"In a democracy like India where even the assassins of a Prime Minister were pardoned, the case of a political prisoner like Yasin Malik must be reviewed and reconsidered. The new political Ikhwan gleefully supporting his hanging are a grave threat to our collective rights", Mehbooba tweeted while tagging the statement of Altaf Bukhari.

Altaf Bukhari was expelled from PDP for 'anti-party activities' in January 2019

Altaf Bukhari, who was Finance Minister in the PDP-BJP government headed by Mehbooba Mufti, was expelled from PDP on January 19, 2019, for "anti-party activities".

A former legislator from Amira Kadal constituency in Srinagar, he had served as roads and buildings minister, then education minister, and was the finance minister when the PDP-BJP coalition government fell.

Originally hailing from north Kashmir's Baramulla district, Bukhari joined the PDP in 2004 and was considered as close to the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He is one of the J&K's top businessmen and had served as the PDP's treasurer for many years. However, after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's death and Mehbooba Mufti's elevation as chief minister, Bukhari was sidelined for some time, but after pressure from legislators and workers, was given the important portfolio of education in the cabinet.

Altaf Bukhari launched Apni Party in March 2020

Altaf Bukhari formed Apni Party in March 2020 to provide an alternative to National Conference and PDP in Kashmir Valley.

Bukhari had stated that the party would work for restoring the "self-esteem and pride" of the people of Jammu and Kashmir which has been hit by the demotion of an erstwhile princely state to a union territory.