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| Rewarded for 'meritorious' service, ex-DC now officially 'Halqa President' of NC | | Agriculture Minister in for trouble' | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Feb 1: Cat is out of the bag! Showkat Ahmed Mir, ex-Private Secretary of Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, who was recently bestowed with State award and who retired as Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal joined National Conference (NC) within 24-hours of his retiring from the Government service.
Assured of getting an important responsibility in the party, Mir's identity card now bears the stamp of provincial president of NC Nasir Aslam Wani. His joining has not come as surprise for anyone since a Congress leader had repeatedly complained of Mir acting as 'Halqa President' of National Conference (NC). He had asked the leadership to get this Deputy Commissioner (DC) shifted at the earliest possible time.
The complainant had referred to Mir's past and stated that he was more interested in strengthening NC in Ganderbal district than performing his role as Deputy Commissioner (DC). But to no avail. Mir served for around 21 months in District Ganderbal, the home constituency of Abdullah's. According to a recent report, Mir failed to expend a small amount of around Rs 68 crore on the developmental activities.
Though NC has described the joining of Mir as an indicator of its increasing popularity, records bear testimony to fact that Mir was a man of NC since his early days. According to official sources, Mir was a card holder of Youth National Conference (YNC) prior to joining the Government service. He joined Government service as Private Secretary to then Minister of State (MOS) for Roads and Buildings (R&B) Dr. Mustafa Kamaal.
This was followed by State Government creating ways and means of elevating Showkat commensurate to the loyalty shown by him towards NC, sources said. They added that ex-Chief Secretary Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, who is also now an NC card holder, paved way for Mir's entry into KAS. Modification of rules and subsequent entry of 'technical quota' enabled Mir to join the prestigious Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS).
He enjoyed prize postings during his career. Provincial president of NC has assured of bestowing Showkat Mir with an important assignment in the party. A rumor mill has already begun saying that Mir is likely to become Political Advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Though dismissed as figment of imagination by NC leadership, the news of Showkat Ahmed Mir being made Political Advisor has reached to the ears of even bureaucrats in the Civil Secretariat.
Whether or not Mir becomes Political Advisor, one man is in for trouble. Democratic National Party (DNP) leader and Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir since Showkat Mir is likely to lay claim over Tangmarg constituency, from where elder Mir is presently member of State legislative Assembly. If this happens, political observers see serious trouble for Mir since PDP has too gained significantly in this constituency.
Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir when asked said "his belonging to Tangmarg is no issue." However, it has been learnt that Hassan Mir is unlikely to allow Showkat to interfere much in the Tangmarg constituency. "He was a known Halqa President of NC. This is no big deal if he joined the party officially. He was card holder in his early days and has simply returned to the roots. But this raises serious questions on these officers non-partisan while working at different positions in the administrative set-up," said a senior IAS officer pleading anonymity.
He added that politics seems to have become post-retirement adventure of bureaucrats. "Joining political parties within days of retirement seems to have become a hobby of Government servants. This trend needs to be stopped at all costs. How can an officers claim of being non-partisan if he behaves like a Halqa president of any political party," said an officer. He stressed that an embargo of five years should be placed on the bureaucrats for joining any kind of political platform. |
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