Bashir Assad
JAMMU, Jan 12: With race to the hottest seat of State bureaucracy getting fiercer by the day, Omar Abdullah Government, of late, has tacitly agreed on having a J&K cadre, 1977 batch IAS officer, Pervez Dewan as the next Chief Secretary taking into account his seniority and suitability.
If the authoritative reliable sources are to be believed, the Government has finally zeroed in on Dewan for obvious reasons. According to the sources, National Conference has been identifying Iqbal Khanday and Anil Goswami either with, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed or Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chief Ministers of the State, the Omar Abdullah Government has, of late, shown more interest in Dewan as successor to Madhav Lal.
Though people in the civil administration consider Dewan as the non-controversial for not having any political acquaintance, however, there is more to it than meets the eye. Sources said since the elections to the State Assembly are drawing closer, NC rank and file have expressed their reservations against Khanday and Goswami and have convinced the Chief Minister not to opt for Khanday given their past acquaintances with Mufti and Azad.
Though at the face of it, NC has been arguing that Dewan being acquainted with the problems of Jammu and Kashmir, for, he has served the State on many coveted positions from Deputy Commissioner Jammu to Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and had a stint of Secretary GAD and Secretary Tourism also, however, NC is more interested to have elections to the State Assembly with Dewan on the hot-seat as Chief Secretary. Even another strong point that gives Dewan edge over Khanday and others was that he was senior to all of them. But filling up of the hot seat by Dewan becomes all the more relevant because elections to the State Assembly were drawing closer.
However, much depends on whether Dewan, a 1977 batch IAS officer of J&K cadre who is currently posted as Secretary to the Union Government in Tourism Department, is ready to make a comeback. However, this all is still a guessing game which has been fuelled owing to expiry of term of Madhav Lal as Chief secretary. Though, retaining Lal for second term could have been possible but differences between him and the political establishment have been widening and if the sources are to be believed, the Government is counting the days to show him the exit. It merits a mention here that most of the Administrative Secretaries in J&K have been rating Lal as non-performer who could just drag the issues too far without providing any solution to them.
On the other hand Lal too seems to be ready pulling up his socks for Delhi journey by the end of this month. |
