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| Soz’s party damn loser in Assembly lots, Mufti’s party sheds tears | | Look what PDP is taking to “peoples’ court”! | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz | 7/27/2009 2:12:54 PM |
| Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Jul 26: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President, Mehbooba Mufti, today complained that most of the private members resolutions submitted by her party’s MLAs had not been admitted for discussion in the forthcoming session of Legislative Assembly beginning on Monday. She also threatened to take all of these resolutions---allegedly blocked by the ruling coalition---for a public debate in the “peoples’ court”.
While addressing a news conference at her Gupkar Road residence, Mehbooba Mufti said that the members of her party had submitted significant resolutions for discussion in the forthcoming session of Legislative Assembly. However, most of these private members’ resolutions, according to her, had not been admitted for the discussion.
PDP chief specified that the resolutions submitted by her MLAs called for withdrawal of J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act, permitting of dual currency (Pakistani and Indian) for better operation of cross-LoC trade, granting safe passage to the militants and Kashmiri guerrilla recruits from Pakistan-administered Kashmir to J&K, abrogation of the Central laws which authorize Government of India and President of India to intervene and impose Governor’s and President’s rule in J&K, constituting a commission of inquiry to look into the fortunes made by all J&K politicians post-1975, granting of self-rule in J&K, roll-back of all Central services including IAS, IPS and IFS in J&K, besides an inquiry into all violations of human rights by Police and Armed Forces in the state in the last 19 years. She said that the proposed resolutions also sought appointment of a state subject as Governor by rotation from Kashmir and Jammu and a particular monetary support to all unemployed youth.
Ms Mufti lamented that most of these resolutions had not been admitted and included in the debate on the floor of the House. She held the ruling National Conference (NC) responsible for blatant abuse of human rights by armed forces, particularly the counter-insurgent Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police and alleged that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was now planning to crush the innocent and unarmed Kashmiris by launching Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the state Police. She said that Government was exerting considerable pressure on media to prevent it from reporting the establishment’s failures, human rights abuse by armed forces and corrupt practices of the Ministers and ruling politicians.
Mehbooba took exception to slapping of Public Safety Act (PSA) on a 14-year-old boy and an 84-year-old separatist politician, namely Syed Ali Shah Geelani. She alleged that “unidentified gunmen” had begun to surface immediately after NC had assumed power in January this year. According to her, over a dozen of civilians had been shot dead by these “unidentified gunmen” in the last nearly seven months in Kashmir valley.
Asked for his reaction to the allegations of blocking PDP’s resolutions, as leveled by Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Mehbooba Mufti, Secretary of Assembly, Mohammad Ramzan told Early Times that he had no mandate to comment on political statements. He, however, revealed that as many as 101 private members’ resolutions had been received by the Assembly Secretariat which had been processed and considered for discussion. He clarified that a “completely transparent system” was in place and there was no question of picking up or dropping resolutions on the basis of the members’ party affiliation.
Quoting rules of Business, Secretary Assembly said that two days were supposed to be earmarked for discussion on the private members’ resolutions in the Budget Session and one day in other sessions every year. He said that after Speaker’s approval and recommendations of the Business Advisory Committee, July 29th and August 3rd next had been reserved for such business in the forthcoming session. Even as no representatives of different political parties turned up, the procession of selecting the resolutions by lots was conducted as per the notified schedule on July 25th at 1400 hours. He sought to make it clear these resolutions had been picked up for draw by lots according to the order of preferences given by the members.
However, he admitted, some of those resolutions which were not constitutionally within the ambit of the state Legislature, like appointment of a state subject as Governor by rotation of one year from Kashmir and Jammu, as also those seeking amendment to different laws, were rejected on technical grounds. He said that, according to rules of Business, members were supposed to move amendment in laws if they were keen to have them changed. Rather than submitting such amendments, PDP MLAs, according to him, had filed private members’ resolutions.
Secretary Assembly further revealed that in the draw of lots on July 25th, total of 14 resolutions had been selected for discussion---7 each for July 29th and August 3rd. Among these, PDP got 3 (Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Syed Basharat Bukhari and Abdul Haq Khan) in addition to one by Peerzada Mansoor Hussain already under discussion (on changing the name of Anantnag as Islamabad), NC got 3 (two by Mir Saifullah and one by Aijaz Ahmed Jan), BJP got 3 (Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Jugal Kishore, Sukhnandan Kumar) and Congress, which has 17 members in the House, got just one for Wiqar Rasool Wani of Banihal. National Pathers Party (NPP), which has 3 MLAs got 2 resolutions (Harsh Dev Singh and Yashpal Kundal) while as Independent MLA Ahwani Kumar and Mohammad Yusuf tarigami of CPI(M) got one each.
Secretary Assembly further revealed that Speaker had admitted most of PDP’s resolutions---withdrawal of J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act, permitting of double currency for better operation of cross-LoC trade, inquiry into assets of politicians post-1975, return of hydroelectric projects from NHPC to J&K, roll-back of Central services including IAS, IPS and IFS. However, only three of these came out during the transparent process of draw of lots.
As regards other Business in the Budget Session, Mohammad Ramzan said that Assembly Secretariat had received 32 Private Members Bills in addition of 7 of such Bills already pending for discussion. He said that one Private Members Bill (regarding pension period of legislators) was pending for consideration while as one Government Bill was also pending for consideration and subsequent passing. He said that a Joint Select Committee had given its report on a Draft Bill seeking decentralization of non-government recruitments which was likely to be tabled in the session. According to him Ministers would reply as many as 858 starred and un-starred questions even as 149 questions of those MLAs had been deleted who had become members of the Council of Ministers earlier this month.
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