Altaf Bukhari Questions Attempts to Exclude Muslim Students from Vaishno Devi Medical Institute

Srinagar, Nov 23, KNT: Jammu Kashmir Apni Party president Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday strongly criticised what he termed as communal attempts to oppose the admission of non-Hindu students in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), saying such a mindset is dangerous for social harmony and runs against India’s secular ethos.

Bukhari said that while objections raised by fringe elements over the admission of non-Hindu students could be ignored as “frustration and flawed logic,” it was shocking to see senior political leaders echoing the same line. He expressed particular concern over the reported remarks of Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma and other BJP leaders, who, he said, appeared to be speaking in the same tone as fringe groups on this sensitive issue.

He questioned how a reputed institution like SMVDIME could even be asked to discriminate against students on the basis of religion when admissions are meant to be governed by merit and due process. Bukhari warned that if such arguments were extended to institutions like Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) or the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), compelling them to admit only students from one community, it would strike at the very roots of communal harmony.

According to Bukhari, this approach not only undermines the country’s constitutional values but also risks reshaping educational spaces along religious lines. He said such thinking mirrors the divisive ideology once pursued by leaders like Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which, he remarked, inflicted long-lasting damage on the subcontinent.

Calling the reported attempts to block Muslim students from studying at SMVDIME “deeply painful,” Bukhari said that medical education and healthcare are among the noblest fields of public service and must remain above communal politics. He stressed that students, regardless of their faith, should have equal access to educational opportunities wherever they qualify on merit.

Bukhari said he was placing his trust in the “wisdom of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Hon’ble Home Minister” to ensure that the issue is guided in the right direction. He urged them to safeguard the secular character of educational institutions and to reassure all communities that merit-based admissions would not be disturbed for political considerations.

The Apni Party president added that Jammu and Kashmir, having suffered decades of turmoil, cannot afford fresh fault lines in the name of religion, especially in sectors like education that shape the future of the younger generation. He appealed to all political parties to refrain from communalising academic institutions and instead work to strengthen mutual trust and constitutional values. [KNT]