Altaf Bukhari
President of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party
Assumed office
2020
Preceded byPosition established
Member of Legislative Assembly
In office
2015–2018
ConstituencyAmira Kadal
Minister for Roads and Buildings of Jammu and Kashmir
In office
2015–2016
Minister for Floriculture, Gardens and Parks
In office
2015–2016
Minister for Education of Jammu and Kashmir
In office
4 April 2016  June 2018
Minister for Labour and Employment of Jammu and Kashmir
In office
March 2018  June 2018
Minister for Finance of Jammu and Kashmir
In office
4 April 2016  19 June 2018
Personal details
Born (1958-02-19) February 19, 1958
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
NationalityIndian
Political partyJammu and Kashmir Apni Party
OccupationPolitician, Businessperson

Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari is an Indian politician hailing from Jammu and Kashmir. He is the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, a political organization, which he launched in 2020.[1] He served as the Member of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2018, representing the Amira Kadal Assembly constituency. He served as the education minister of Jammu and Kashmir[2] and later assumed the additional responsibility of the Finance, Labour and Employment ministry.[3][4]

Early life and education

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural science from Government Agriculture College in Wadura-Sopore, obtained in 1980 through Kashmir University.[5] His father, Syed Mohammad Iqbal Bukhari, was a noted businessman and the founder of FIL Industries.[6]

Career

In 2014, Altaf Bukhari won the assembly election from the Amira Kadal Assembly constituency, representing the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. Subsequently, in 2015, Altaf Bukhari was appointed as Roads and Buildings Minister[7] in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP coalition. He also served as the Minister for Floriculture, Gardens and Parks in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed ministry.[8] However, upon Sayeed's demise in 2016, Bukhari was not included in the cabinet when Mehbooba Mufti assumed office.[9]

A delegation led by the Minister for Education Altaf Bukhari meeting the Union Minister for HRD, Prakash Javadekar, in New Delhi on May 3, 2017.

In February 2017, Bukhari was appointed as the minister for Education in the government.[2] Later, in March 2018, he was assigned the additional responsibility of the Finance Ministry,[3] the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the state government.[4]

When the BJP-PDP coalition government dissolved in June 2018, Altaf Bukhari emerged as a consensus candidate for Chief Minister, backed by the PDP, the Congress, and the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference in November 2018.[10][11]

He formed his own party called Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party on 8 March 2020,[12] nearly a year after being expelled from the PDP.[13]

He has been granted Z+ level security, which is the highest level of security provided by the Indian government.[14][15]

Business

His family runs FIL Industries Limited, a conglomerate with interests in agriculture, food and beverages, tourism, hospitality, and mountain infrastructure development. He also previously served as the CEO of FIL Industries.[16] The company was established by his father.[6] Initially, Altaf Bukhari took over the pesticide business and expanded its operations across different parts of the country. Notably, FIL Industries Limited is the only private entity collaborating with German partners in the processing of apples.[17]

He is credited with introducing controlled atmosphere storage (CAS) in Kashmir and providing assistance to the Container Corporation of India in establishing a 12,000-tonne CAS facility in Haryana.[18][17]

Other engagements

References

  1. "Altaf Bukhari again elected as president of Apni Party". Hindustan Times. 11 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Mehbooba reshuffles cabinet, appoints Altaf Bukhari as education minister". India TV. 17 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Jammu and Kashmir education minister Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari given additional charge of finance". Firstpost. 13 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Education Minister Altaf Bukhari gets additional charge of Finance, Labour and Employment depts". Greater Kashmir. 14 March 2018.
  5. Mukherjee, Saurav (21 November 2018). "Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari is PDP-NC-Congress CM Face: All You Need to Know About J&K Leader". LatestLY.
  6. 1 2 Hussain, Masood (25 November 2021). "A Tycoon's Death". Kashmir Life.
  7. Wani, Riyaz (20 March 2020). "Altaf Bukhari and the business of politics". The Hindu Business Line.
  8. "Comprehensive plan for beautification of gardens in Valley". The Economic Times. 5 April 2015.
  9. "Ex-minister Syed Altaf Bukhari inducted into Mehbooba Cabinet". Deccan Chronicle. 17 February 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 "Who is Altaf Bukhari, PDP-Congress-NC's Likely J&K CM Candidate?". The Quint. 21 November 2018.
  11. "Altaf Bukhari is 'consensus' J&K CM candidate as Congress, PDP, NC join hands to thwart Sajjad Lone". Firstpost. 21 November 2018.
  12. "Former PDP leader Altaf Bukhari launches 'Apni party'". The Times of India. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  13. Ehsan, Mir (19 January 2019). "Former J-K minister Altaf Bukhari expelled from PDP for 'anti-party activity'". Hindustan Times.
  14. Masood, Bashaarat (7 April 2023). "Z+ to J&K Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, and decoding the language of security". Indian Express.
  15. Ehsan, Mir (5 April 2023). "Nothing new, have been Z+ protectee since 2015: Altaf Bukhari on security upgrade". Hindustan Times.
  16. Irfan, Shams (26 December 2011). "Long Live The Apple Cart". Kashmir Life.
  17. 1 2 3 Wani, Riyaz (20 March 2020). "Altaf Bukhari and the business of politics". The Hindu Business Line.
  18. "'I pray to God to give me the stature of Bakshi Sahib'". Kashmir Life. 26 February 2020.
  19. Masood, Bashaarat; Akhzer, Adil; Sharma, Arun (9 March 2020). "At helm of new J&K outfit, one of Valley's richest politicians; in ranks, leaders with links across parties". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  20. "Bukhari's Apni Party: Delhi's Arm or Remains of PDP?". NewsClick. 9 March 2020.
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