Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday staged a protest inside the Assembly premises against a General Administration Department (GAD) order deputing KAS officer Bilal Ahmad Mir to the Assembly Secretariat.
The protesting employees raised slogans and objected to the deputation, contending that the move was contrary to established rules and administrative procedures governing the Assembly Secretariat. They demanded that the government immediately review the order.
The employees maintained that the Assembly Secretariat has its own established cadre and argued that the deputation of an officer from outside the cadre should be reconsidered.
They also warned that the protest would continue until their concerns were addressed and the government reviewed the deputation order.
The issue also drew a sharp response from PDP MLA and legislative party leader Waheed Ur Rehman Para, who questioned the deputation of an officer from outside the Assembly cadre.
In a post on X, Para described the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly as “perhaps the last institution directly accountable to the people”, noting that it makes laws and holds the government to account.
He alleged that the GAD had, for the first time, appointed an officer from outside the Assembly cadre to the Assembly Secretariat, calling it a departure from established practice.
“This is not a routine posting. It undermines the Assembly’s autonomy, dignity and authority,” Para said.
He further argued that the development was particularly concerning as it had taken place under an elected government.
Para urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to withdraw the order and tagged the Chief Minister and the J&K Chief Minister’s Office in his post.
Meanwhile, Assembly employees reiterated that they would continue pressing for withdrawal or review of the deputation order until their concerns are addressed.
