NC attempts to claim credit; Raj Bhawan clarifies appointment made under Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme
Jammu: The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, on Saturday handed over a job letter to the wife of Syed Aadil Hussain Shah, a ponywala who was among 26 civilians killed in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
“The whole country is proud of the bravery of Adil. The government job to martyr Adil’s wife symbolizes our deep gratitude to the brave civilian who sacrificed his life while protecting tourists at Pahalgam on 22nd April,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The appointment of Mst. Gulnaz Akhter has been made by the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor under Clause-2A of the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022, using discretionary powers to relax educational qualifications in exceptional circumstances.
As per Clause-2A of the scheme, the Lieutenant Governor may appoint the dependent family member of a civilian who has died due to militancy/terrorist-related action, law and order situations, or enemy action, provided the victim had no involvement in militancy-related activities.
The relaxation of age or qualification under this scheme lies solely with the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor.
In this case, the LG invoked the clause to make the appointment, as the deceased was a civilian and not a government employee. It was further clarified that the Fisheries Department played no role in granting the relaxation or in the appointment.
“Acknowledging the supreme sacrifice of Shri Adil Hussain Shah during the terrorist attack at Baisaran Pahalgam, the Lieutenant Governor has considered the appointment of the slain civilian’s wife in relaxation of her educational qualification to bring succour to the family,” an official statement said.
Apparently miffed over the LG handing over the job letter, the ruling National Conference (NC) on Saturday claimed that the appointment order had already been prepared by the state government’s Fisheries Department.
In a post on X, NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq stated:
“In moments of pain, politics must make way for compassion, and governance must honour its word.
We thank LG Sahab for handing over the job order that was already prepared by the Fisheries Department, a department under the elected government led by Minister Javed Dar.”
Sadiq added that the move reflects the maturity and responsibility of the elected government:
“We did not allow egos to come in the way but stood by our commitment to Adil’s family in their moment of grief.”
He further pointed out that the state government had previously issued similar appointment letters to families of those killed in Pakistani shelling in Poonch.
“The job orders were later distributed by the Home Minister after the CM had personally visited and committed these jobs to the affected families,” said Sadiq, who is also an MLA from Zadibal constituency.
