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| Qazi Afzal - a sacrificial lamb for PDP | | | Early Times Reporter
Srinagar | October 4
Qazi Mohd.Afzal, who had fortified PDP’s position in the Kashmir valley by trouncing President National Conference,Omar Abdullah in Ganderbal constituency in 2002 Assembly poll,is a political orphan.Neither the PDP leadership has bothered to intervene and get back the forest portfolio for him nor the Chief Minister,Ghulam Nabi Azad,has persuaded him and the PDP patron,Mufti Mohd.Sayeed,on the need for patience till he(Azad) was able to clear the Forest corporation and the Forest department of the mess.
And when the Qazi made it known to his supporters that he had resigned and he was no longer a minister Chief Minister had no other alternative but to allot even the Housing and Urban Development portfolio to Aijaz Ahmed who is minister of state.When asked to comment on the latest decision of the Chief Minister,Ghulam Hassan Mir,a former Minister and a senior PDP leader said “people are reading too much meaning in giving Housing and Urban Development portfolio to Aijaz Ahmed.” He said Mr Ahmed has been given an additional charge and he has not been elevated to the cabinet rank thereby indicating that Housing and Urban Development were with Qazi Mohd.Afzal.
Asked why does not the Qazi resume his duties as a cabinet Minister Mr Mir said “he is waiting for the instruction from the party leadership.”
Mir refused to comment when reminded that the PDP leadership had almost disowned the Qazi.Informed sources said that the PDP leadership has seemingly cast its lot with Tari Hameed Qarra,Finance Minister,who does not seem to have relished the views expressed by the Qazi that some Delhi based business establishment was trying to force him (Qazi) to allot forest land for setting an amusement park and a housing colony.
The sources said that Ghulam Nabi Azad had made an attempt at persuading the Qazi to rejoin the cabinet because his resignation had not been accepted but Azad’s efforts did not bear fruits because the Qazi does not want to annoy the PDP leadership at this juncture which may ultimately result in a situation in which he could not get the party mandate for contesting the next election from Ganderbal. It is not yet known whether the PDP leadership was planning to use the Qazi as a sacrificial lamb for measuring swords with the Congress in the next election or enlarge his (Qazi’s) political frame which could help him in defeating the NC candidate in the next poll.Whatever may be the outcome of the Qazi episode the alliance between the Congress and the PDP is faced with the threat of a rupture. |
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