SRINAGAR, Sept 22: Jammu and Kashmir’s independent Member of Legislative Assembly from Langate has submitted two resolutions in the assembly secretariat wanting hand-over of Amarnath yatra management to local Pandits and revocation of FIRs against youth arrested for stone pelting since 2010.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, wanted the two resolutions to be taken-up in the upcoming Assembly session commencing from October 1.
The lawmaker, in a statement, said that he expected the state government to withdraw all FIRs against the youth, who have been allegedly accused of pelting stones and other charges from 2008 onwards during anti-India demonstrations and protests.
Last year, chief minister Omar Abdullah had announced revocation of cases and grant of amnesty to over 1500 youth allegedly involved in stone pelting in the year 2010. But in March this year, he informed assembly that revocation of FIRs and withdrawing cases from courts would take some time but ‘we are working on the issue on fast track’.
“Though chief minister has reiterated his will to withdraw all these FIRs but from innocent kids to college students, youths are being harassed by the concerned police stations in connection with the said FIRs,” Engineer Rashid said, adding that the cases should be withdrawn “without imposing any pre conditions”.
The MLA also stated that giving control of SASB to local Kashmiri Pandits ‘was a legal and moral obligation’.
“Non-local members of the SASB do not have any idea of the cultural, moral, geographical and regional sensitiveness of the state which often makes Shri Amarnath Yatra controversial. Keeping in view the special status of Jammu & Kashmir it is need of the hour to handover the control of the said board to local Kashmiri Pandits,” Rashid said.
In 2011, Rashid had created an uproar across the country for bringing a resolution demanding clemency for Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru.
Resolutions submitted by legislators are scanned by a committee led by assembly speaker and are scheduled to be tabled for vote only after they are found to be as per laid norms and procedures.
If passed they could ensure high drama in the assembly session, otherwise expected to be dull with no major issues, as Rashid’s demands have already been raised by hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and also main opposition People’s Democratic Party.
Rashid has also asked government to make Muslim Waqf Board an “apolitical institution as it does not belong to any political party or family or any individual”.
He said that the move would help in ensuring that resources and assets belonging to the Muslim community are utilized in a transparent way.
