‘Since October, none selected from Valley as advisor’
Srinagar, Jan 22 : Nearly two-and-a-half months after bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories, Kashmir is without any representation in team of advisors picked up by the Government of India for assisting Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu for running administrative affairs of J&K.
According to wire service—, of the three advisors appointed by the Centre after transition of J&K into UT on October 31, none is from Kashmir Valley, raising certain questions. While Kewal Kumar Sharma and Farooq Ahmad Khan are from Jammu, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar is non-local.
Sharma and Khan were appointed as advisors on November 14 while Bhatnagar was picked up for the assignment earlier this month.
As per news agency, in the past, the government used to give adequate representation to Kashmir in absence of elected government by appointing one or two ex-bureaucrats from the region as advisors. After collapse of PDP-BJP government in June 2018, then Governor NN Vohra appointed Khurshid Ahmad Ganai as his advisors to give representation to Kashmir in the team of advisors.
Ganai was appointed as the advisor after he tendered his resignation as chief information commissioner of J&K. It is worthwhile to mention here that advisors exercise powers of ministers when the UT is without an elected regime. The advisors are part of the administrative council, which is similar to the cabinet of elected regime. (KNO)
