Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar, (KNC): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursaday paid tributes to several former legislators and public figures, including former Governor Satya Pal Malik, Gulchain Singh Charak, Dina Nath Bhagat, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, Ramesh Arora, and Muhammad Akhlaq Khan, during the obituary references in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Speaking in the House, Omar Abdullah as per news agency Kashmir News Corner — KNC, said, “Their contributions will always be remembered. Each of them has played a role in shaping the political and social landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Referring to former Governor Satya Pal Malik, Omar said, “As you mentioned, Speaker Sahab, he not only served as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir but also of Bihar, and held additional charge of Odisha. He also served as a minister at the Centre. In the book of history, everyone has a paragraph written about them some shorter, some longer. Malik Sahab’s too will be there. We may have had differences of opinion, but we all accept that whatever he did, he did with the intention of doing good.”
The Chief Minister also expressed regret over the omission of former Langate MLA Muhammad Sultan Panditpori’s name from the obituary references. “I hope the Chief Secretary has taken note of this. I believe there must be an explanation from the district administration about why his name was not included. He was a known figure, 90 years old, and remained active in politics all his life. His name should have been there — I extend my apologies for this oversight,” Omar said.
He further proposed a change in how obituary references are conducted in the Assembly. “When I was newly elected to Parliament, the practice there was that obituary references were read by the Speaker, followed by lengthy speeches by members. Eventually, it was realized that this was not an efficient use of Parliament’s time. Now, the Speaker reads the references and asks members to stand in silence for one minute,” he explained.
“I think we should consider adopting that method here as well. Sometimes harsh exchanges occur from both sides during these sessions — it’s better to avoid that. Let the Speaker read the names and all of us observe a moment of silence together,” Omar suggested.
At the conclusion, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather appreciated the suggestion and asked the members to stand for a minute of silence in honor of all the departed legislators and leaders. (KNC)
