Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Oct 27
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inducted four ministers into his cabinet on Tuesday, expanding the government after two years with a reduced team, while the appointments triggered dissent within the ruling National Conference (NC).
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Ali Mohammad Sagar, Saifullah Mir, Shamim Firdous and Altaf Ahmad Wani, also known as Kaloo, at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar. Independent legislator Satish Sharma was dropped.
The Council of Ministers now has nine members, including the chief minister. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the council cannot exceed 10% of the 90-member Legislative Assembly. Abdullah had been running the government with five ministers for the past two years.
Sagar, a seven-time legislator from Khanyar in Srinagar, is a senior NC leader and former minister. Mir, a four-time legislator, represents Trehgam in north Kashmir.
Firdous, who represents Habba Kadal in Srinagar, is the cabinet’s second woman minister after Sakina Itoo. Wani represents Pahalgam in south Kashmir.
The new ministers said they would focus on governance, development and public grievances. Sagar said the government had substantial work to do for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Firdous said the NC would continue to work towards the vision of “Naya Kashmir” associated with party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
Mir said development across sectors and addressing public concerns would be priorities. Wani thanked NC president Farooq Abdullah and the chief minister for their trust.
The expansion also prompted criticism over the exclusion of senior NC figures.
Supporters of six-time Eidgah legislator Mubarik Gul protested at the party’s Nawa-e-Subh headquarters in Srinagar, saying he deserved a ministerial post because of his seniority and experience.
They said his name had been included in a proposed list as late as Monday night before being dropped. Farooq Abdullah later appointed Gul general secretary of the party.
Sources said Mir was asked to reach out to Gurez legislator Nazir Ahmad Khan to ease discontent.
They said Mir told Khan that the party was considering senior leader Abdul Rahim Rather for the Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat if Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah left the party, and that Khan could be considered for the Assembly speaker’s post if Rather vacated it.
These were reported as party plans, not confirmed appointments.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhury dismissed suggestions of widespread resentment, saying disagreements over cabinet appointments were normal and that the additional ministers would help distribute the government’s workload.
The Congress, an ally of the ruling NC, said it would remain outside the cabinet until statehood was restored to Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee President Tariq Hamid Karra said the party would not abandon its position in exchange for a ministerial berth.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the expansion, saying it did not adequately reflect the region’s religious, regional and cultural diversity.
Sunil Sharma, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, congratulated the new ministers but said all regions and sections of society should be represented.
The expansion comes amid continuing debate over Jammu and Kashmir’s governance arrangements following its 2019 reorganisation as a Union Territory.
The government will face pressure to show that the larger cabinet improves administration, while the NC manages internal expectations and the Congress continues to demand restoration of statehood.
