Mir Farhat
SRINAGAR, Sept 30: People’s Democratic Party spokesperson Naeem Akhtar today said in the Legislative Council that chairman should declare “state of general mourning” in the Upper House as “mourning atmosphere” was prevailing in the State.
Akhtar was referring to the recent killings of people in Shopian, Gool, communal violence in district Kishtwar and terror attacks in Samba and Hiranagar.
“A general state of mourning should be announced in wake of such a situation where blood is spilled over and over. Even this House is under arrest if its members do not talk about killing of people in the State,” he said, before being asked by Chairman, Amrit Malhotra, to stop talking beyond the agenda of the House.
Akhtar told the House not to pass obituary reference to him after his death if “murder” of people continues in Kashmir. He termed September 7 Shopian civilian killings as ‘unfortunate’ and said a session be called in the House over these killings.
The first day of the council began today after Legislative Council Chairman Amrit Malhotra paid tributes to former journalist-turned Rajya Sabha Member, Dharam Chander Prashant and former BJP MLC Daya Krishan Kotwal for their “contribution in strengthening democratic values and pleading the cause of poor and downtrodden people.”
PDP member Syed Asgar Ali said homage should be paid to those also who were killed by security forces in the state. “Are we here to make an obituary reference of just few?” he asked the House, adding in the same breath, “Tributes should be paid to those also who were killed by security forces. Moreover, time should be extended to deliberate on things which led to these cold blooded killings,” he said.
Some members including National Conference’s Ghulam Qadir Pardesi and Bashir Ahmad Veeri while paying obituaries also told the Chairman that biographies and information about the two deceased persons should be kept in the Assembly Complex library.
“I had not heard anything about these two personalities. I came to know about them after Bashir Ahmad Magray informed the House about their political and social life,” Bashir Ahmad Veeri said.
Congress member Ghulam Nabi Monga told the Chairman that members of the House should express solidarity with the families of those persons who were recently killed in Kashmir.
NC member and Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, while paying obituary to them said that late Dharam Chander Prashant was a veteran journalist and worked as Bureau Chief of PTI in Jammu.
On Daya Krishan Kotwal, Sadhotra said that he was a dedicated political worker who spent his life in serving the people of the State.
Naresh Kumar Gupta, Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah, Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy, Dr. Shahnaz Ganai, Nayeen Akhtar Andrabi, and Jehangir Hussain Mir also spoke on the obituary reference and paid rich tributes to the late leaders.
The House also condoled the demise of the son of MLC Mohammad Muzaffar Parrey, who passed away recently.
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