Ganderbal: Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Sunday accused the elected government of lacking a local connect and failing to address public concerns, alleging that outsourcing of government jobs could emerge as a major controversy.
Addressing party workers and local residents during a visit to Ganderbal, Lone said his party would continue its public outreach across Kashmir, adding that the focus should be on addressing what he described as political oppression and lack of development in the area.
Speaking to reporters, Lone alleged that despite years of political dominance by one party, Ganderbal had not witnessed development commensurate with the public mandate.
He also questioned the functioning of the present government, claiming there was little difference between the elected dispensation and the Lieutenant Governor’s administration in terms of their approach to governance.
Targeting the government over employment, Lone alleged that instead of fulfilling its promise of providing one lakh government jobs, around 25,000 posts had been converted into private employment through outsourcing. He said he had raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly and described outsourcing as a potential major scam.
On the denial of police verification certificates to families of individuals allegedly involved in militancy or supporting militancy, Lone condemned the practice but claimed that it had been followed for decades.
He accused the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party of introducing the practice, alleging that family members were being denied police verification because of the alleged involvement of one individual in militancy or as an overground worker (OGW).
Lone also questioned the Centre’s approach towards ordinary Kashmiris and alleged that people were being subjected to humiliation and harassment.
Commenting on the legacy of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Lone said Geelani had his own political legacy and that anyone willing to associate with it voluntarily was welcome. He, however, accused the PDP of attempting, at the behest of the Centre, to undermine that legacy.
MLA Handwara objects to Education Minister’s ‘All MLAs’ letter, seeks withdrawal
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference president and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone on Sunday sought the withdrawal of a letter issued by the Education Minister and addressed collectively to “All MLAs”, saying elected representatives should be addressed individually in official correspondence.
In a statement, Lone said he had received the communication bearing the Education Minister’s signature but objected to the manner in which it was addressed.
He said legislators deserved to be addressed individually by name, rather than collectively, arguing that such correspondence was a matter of institutional courtesy and respect for their representative status.
“Courtesy, privilege and respect for the representativeness of the elected members demands that the Honourable Minister addresses each member individually by name,” Lone said.
He said his objection was not confined to the particular letter but concerned the precedent such a practice could set for future official communication.
Warning that the practice could eventually be adopted by the bureaucracy, Lone said group emails addressed collectively to legislators could become commonplace if the matter was not addressed.
He urged the Education Minister to recall the existing communication and issue fresh letters addressed individually to each legislator, stressing that such matters were particularly important in the Union Territory context.
