Who is Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ali who joined BJP in Kashmir? he/she was once considered a fundamentalist

New Delhi: Preparations are underway for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Before the elections, former minister and prominent leader of the valley Choudhary Zulfikar Ali has joined the BJP. he/she also met Home Minister Amit Shah recently. On Sunday, Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Jitendra Singh, along with BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh and Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina, welcomed Ali into the party at the Jammu headquarters. They stressed that his/her arrival will further strengthen the party’s grassroots presence in Jammu and Kashmir. Zulfikar Ali is considered a hardline leader. Who is Zulfikar Ali? How has his/her political journey been? Let us tell you.he/she has been active in Jammu and Kashmir politics for a long time
Chaudhary Zulfikar Ali has been active in Jammu and Kashmir politics for a long time. he/she was associated with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was also a minister in the government there. Zulfikar Ali has held many important positions in the Jammu and Kashmir government, including posts like Education Minister, Food Supply Minister, and Rural Development Minister. While holding these posts, he/she took many steps for the development of the state. Zulfikar Ali’s influence is mainly seen in the Jammu region, and he/she has been very vocal about the issues of the people of this region.

Zulfikar Ali has been considered a radical leader?
After Zulfikar Ali joined BJP, he/she is in the news a lot. At one point, he/she was considered a hardline leader. Actually, he/she has been raising sensitive issues of Jammu and Kashmir with a tough stand. he/she has also been vocal about the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and has been speaking in support of Article 370 and 35A.

Have worked with BJP before
Zulfiqar Ali, a lawyer by profession, won the election from Rajouri’s Darhal assembly in 2008 and 2014. he/she has previously worked with the BJP, when he/she served as a cabinet minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government from 2015 to 2018. But in 2018, the BJP withdrew its support and the government fell. After this, he/she formed the JKAP party in 2020 with former minister Altaf Bukhari. Now he/she has joined the BJP and will directly work with the BJP.

What did Zulfikar Ali say after joining BJP?
After joining BJP, Zulfikar Ali said, ‘I have decided to join BJP to take my region towards progress, development and prosperity.’ he/she stressed on staying away from the emotional politics often done by the leaders of the valley and said, ‘We have nothing to do with the emotional politics done by the political leaders of the valley.’ he/she said, ‘I was in the process of finding a new way to serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir and for this I found BJP to be the right party through which I could advance the interests of the people of this region.’

Kashmir parties accused of creating an atmosphere of fearSlamming Kashmir-based parties for allegedly exploiting regional sentiments, Ali blamed them for the atmosphere of fear spread over decades and advocated integration with the power centre in Delhi to accelerate development initiatives. “For more than 70 years, we have been told that if Muslims want to survive in Jammu, they have to vote for the National Conference. The leaders misled us by creating fear among the people with such statements. But why should we distance ourselves from Delhi? If Delhi is the centre of power, why should we stay away from it? I have joined the BJP to bring my region on the path of development,” he/she said.