J&K: Panel to review contentious issues soon

by Shivendra Singh · March 11, 2015

To avoid the recurrence of controversies like the release of Hurriyat hardliner Masarat Alam in the future, the Mufti Sayeed government will constitute a committee comprising members from both the PDP and the BJP to discuss contentious issues before taking any decision.

Disclosing this, Minister of State for Transport (Independent Charge) Abdul Ghani Kohli on Tuesday called for looking forward, and said: “Let us forget whatsoever has happened in the past and we shall now ensure that no such decision is taken without taking everyone into confidence.”

Miffed over the release of Masarat Alam, accused of being the architect of 2010 stone pelting in the Valley, a group of BJP legislators had on Monday registered their formal protest with Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed and asked him to constitute a steering committee comprising senior leaders from both the alliance partners to discuss all contentious issues before the state government takes any decision thereon. They had also demanded the re-arrest of the Hurriyat hardliner.

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Meanwhile, the state BJP on Tuesday demanded an inquiry to find the reasons for the delay in the exchange of official communication between the Home Department and the Jammu District Magistrate on detention of Masarat.

“It seems that some intentional lapse on part of some senior officials could have paved way for delay in reviewing of stand on Masarat Alam by the Home Department,” party spokesperson Sunil Sethi said. Hardening the party stand on the issue, he demanded the re-arrest of Masarat saying that if he is allowed to roam free it may create law and order problem and cause threat to the security of the nation and people of the state.

Senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh was summoned by the party high command in Delhi to discuss the matter. Sethi confirmed that Nirmal Singh was in Delhi to discuss issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir, including the release of the Hurriyat hardliner.

State Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, who acted as PDP’s interlocutor in forgoing ties with BJP, denied that Masarat was released from jail as the PDP wanted to draw political mileage out of it. “We are following a programme and agenda of the alliance and we followed it in letter and spirit,” he said.

Source:: Indian Express