Raj Bhavan and the ruling NC in Kashmir spar over offer of jobs to family of local Pahalgam terror victim
The offer of three government jobs to the family of the local killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, resulted in tension between the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister's Office on Sunday (June 15, 2025).
The two sides bickered after J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the victim's family on Saturday (June 14, 2025) at his native village in Hapatnar, Anantnag, and handed over the appointment letter to his wife, Gulnaz Akhter, 'on compassionate grounds'.
National Conference (NC) MLA Tanvir Sadiq took exception to the L-G's move to hand over the appointment letter. 'I thank L-G sahab for handing over the job order that was already prepared by the Fisheries Department, a department under the elected government led by Honourable Minister Javed Dar. This reflects the maturity and responsibility shown by the elected government. We did not allow egos to come in the way,' Mr. Sadiq said.
To Mr. Sadiq's statement, the Raj Bhavan clarified that the appointment was made by the L-G by exercising the discretionary powers conferred under Clause 2A of the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022 with a relaxation in Ms. Akhter's educational qualification.
'As per clause 2A of J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme 2022, the Lieutenant Governor in exceptional circumstances may appoint the dependent family member of a civilian, who has died as a result of militancy/terrorist related action or due to law and order situation or due to enemy action and who is not involved in militancy related activity, in Government Service,' the Raj Bhavan said in a statement.
'The appointment of Ms. Akhter has been made by L-G under exceptional circumstances as her husband was a civilian and not a Government employee. Further, appointment has been made in relaxation of her educational qualification. There is no role of the Fisheries Department in granting relaxation as well as appointment in the instant case,' it added.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also promised a job to the victim's family. However, on May 1, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board handed over an appointment letter to the brother of Shah, 28, one of the 26 civilians killed by terrorists in Pahalgam.
'On one hand, the L-G says he only controls the police, and on the other hand, he tweets about providing a job to Adil's widow. This highlights the problem of the dual power system in Jammu and Kashmir, which can only be resolved through the restoration of Statehood,' Mr. Sadiq said in his response to the Raj Bhavan's statement.
He said there appeared to be a 'contradiction between the L-G's public statement and the Raj Bhavan's clarification'. 'If the L-G's role is limited to policing, it is unclear how rule relaxations for other government departments were granted. J&K has a stable government and the people have given a full mandate. Early restoration of Statehood is necessary to end such confusion and ensure smooth governance,' the NC leader said.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the L-G called upon the people to follow the teachings of the mystic Kabir. He assured 'appropriate measures to declare Sant Kabir Das Ji Jayanti as Gazetted holiday' in J&K.
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