PDP Min resigns from J&K Cabinet; no bearing on coalition

Srinagar, Sep 3 (UNI) Adhering to the party high command's decision, Housing and Urban Development Minister and senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Qazi Mohammad Afzal today resigned from the Council of Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir.

PDP sources said Mr Afzal's resignation would have no bearing on the ruling Congress-led coalition in the state.

In fact, former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had asked Mr Afzal to tender his resignation from the state Cabinet immediately following the allegations, they added.

Mr Afzal told UNI that he had submitted his resignation to the Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti at 1615 hrs.

He sounded visibly angry over Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's decision to strip him of due Forest, Environment and Ecology portfolio.

Mr Afzal said Mr Azad had taken the decision on Sunday without consulting the PDP leadership.

He termed as ''baseless'' the allegations levelled against him, saying the decision was ''grave humiliation'' to him, his party and the people of his constituency (Ganderbal).

''The people of my constituency are feeling humiliated, hurt and dejected by Mr Azad's decision,'' the PDP leader said.

Mr Afzal said he has tendered the resignation from the Council of Ministers to uphold the dignity and honour of the PDP, the people of his constituency besides himself.

However, the sources said Mr Afzal was equally hurt with the PDP leadership's stand on the issue.

The resignation comes two days after Mr Afzal was stripped of the Forest, Environment and Ecology portfolio by Mr Azad following allegations of creating artificial timber scarcity in the state.

However, the charge of Housing and Urban Development Ministry was not taken away from him.

The state government had constituted an internal inquiry which found that not much timber was being marked by the State Forest Corporation (SFC) for use in commercial and private construction work, leading to creation of artificial scarcity of timber.

The inquiry also ascertained that the SFC was allegedly in nexus with some timber smugglers from outside the state, sources said.

Mr Afzal had emerged as a giant killer in the 2002 state Assembly elections after he defeated National Conference (NC) president Omar Abdullah from the Ganderbal constituency, a traditional bastion of the Sheikh family, on the PDP ticket.

UNI