I am ready to face Kundal Report: Qazi

Jammu, Jan 22 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Forest Qazi Mohammed Afzal today said he was ready to face the Kundal Committee Report and if guilty, was prepared to face the consequences.

Speaking to mediapersons outside the Legislative Assembly, the Forest Minister said as per assurances, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad tabled the Kundal Committee Report in the House and it was he (Qazi) who asked Mr Azad to present the report before the House.

''I personally met the Chief Minister and made him aware of the bungling and scams in the Forest Department. I have studied the files and found incriminating evidence of the bunglings in the Forest Department during the National Conference (NC) regime,'' Mr Qazi said, adding that the NC people did not dare to conduct a probe and then table the report before the House.

Pleading his innocence, Mr Qazi said, ''Had it been so, I would not have myself given notice to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council for allowing us to table the report before the House.

''I was 'relieved' of my portfolio on the directions of the Chief Minister but once the report was presented to him, I was given a clean chit and he (Mr Azad) even defended me on the floor of the House, while replying to the Governor's address.'' He added that since he knew what he had done for the Forest Department during his term as Minister, he had no reason to feel threatened by the apprehensions of the opposition NationalConference over the findings of the Kundal Committee Report.

Meanwhile countering the statements of the Forest Minister, senior leader of the opposition National Conference Ali Mohammad Sagar, while talking to the mediapersons said the report had clearly indicated the involvement of the Minister.

''The reports itself speaks and in one of the statements in the report, the Commissioner Home had said, in this exercise, the Forest Minister was himself involved,'' Mr Sagar told reporters.

''Now, this is a matter of credibility for Mr Azad. He should sack both the Ministers and fulfill his commitment,'' the opposition leader said, alleging that nothing had been done in the Forest Department without the consent of the Minister.

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