A new political party was launched in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, which apart from working towards “peaceful, amicable, permanent and everlasting” settlement of the Kashmir dispute will encourage people of the state to exploit sagaciously the locally available resources to achieve self-reliance and also promote educational network.
“We will be different from what you already have and as its name suggests ours essentially is a party of intellectuals which will strive hard towards pursuing its political, economical and social agenda,” said Muhammad Amin Butt, a well-know Kashmiri lawyer and president of JK Intelligentsia Guild (JKIG) when asked about the urgency of launching another political party in a state where, at least, one new name is added to the long list of such bands. He added, “We’re not drawing a line. In fact, we are supplementing their effort but in our own way and making best use of our aptitude.” Vice-president of the new party and former head of the paediatrician department at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of medical Sciences Prof. Massud-ul-Hassan asserted, “JKIG is a platform for the educated class. But that doesn’t bar others from joining.”