On Saturday, Sinha personally handed over the appointment letter to Gulnaz Akhter, wife of Adil Hussain, at Hapatnar in Anantnag.
NC MLA and chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, in a post on X, said, “We thank L-G 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. This reflects the maturity and responsibility shown by 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 added, “Just as earlier, the elected government had prepared similar job orders for the next of kin in Poonch, which were later distributed by the Home Minister after the Chief Minister had personally visited and committed these jobs to the affected families. In moments of pain, politics must make way for compassion, and governance must honour its word.”
However, the L-G’s office issued a statement later on Saturday clarifying, “The appointment of Gulnaz Akhter has been made by the L-G under Clause 2A of the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme-2022, by exercising discretionary powers and granting relaxation in educational qualification.”
The statement further stressed, “The authority to grant relaxation in age or qualification under the scheme rests solely with the L-G. The Fisheries Department has no role in either the relaxation or the appointment in this particular case.”
Interestingly, earlier on Saturday while addressing farmers during an event in south Kashmir, L-G Manoj Sinha had remarked, “Only the UT police is under me. All other departments including roads, electricity and agriculture fall under the domain of the government. There will be no hindrance if they initiate work in any of these areas.”
Reacting to the controversy, NC leader Tanvir Sadiq told reporters on Sunday, “Either what he (L-G) said in south Kashmir is true, or what his office claimed later is true—both can’t be right. If he only controls the Home Department, how did he issue the appointment? If he did, it clearly indicates interference.”
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary recently also advocated for statehood, stating in Srinagar that it should be restored so the government can focus on the development of J&K.
