JOIN USJammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul on Thursday issued a notice to former army chief General V K Singh, asking him to explain his position on the allegation he made on ministers being paid off in the state.
Sources told Deccan Herald that though the notice has not sought the personal appearance of Singh, as was vehemently demanded by the state legislators earlier, any further action against the retired General would be taken only after he provided an explanation.
State Law Minister Mir Saifullah confirmed that he had also received a copy of the notice that was sent to Singh. “If the summons is not replied to within the stipulated time, a warrant will be issued against the former Army General,” he said.
An official handout said the notice had been issued in response to a breach of privilege notice from 15 MLAs against the general. “The retired General has been given a 20-day period to explain his position in the matter so that a course of action can be decided later under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly,” it added.
Meanwhile, sources close to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah revealed that the Government of India had not responded to the letter he sent on September 25 to the prime minster, urging him to order an investigation into the remarks made by Gen Singh about the technical support division’s (TSD) funding for the state’s mainstream politicians.
“The chief minster’s office has yet not received any answer from the office of the prime minister,” they added.
Gen Singh last month alleged that since 1947, politicians in Jammu and Kashmir are paid off by the Army and other intelligence agencies for “nationalistic work and maintaining peace in the state.”
“The Army transfers money to all the ministers in Jammu and Kashmir. This is because there are various things to be done by ministers as a part of the stabilising factor in the state and to organise various activities,” he had said.
Gen Singh was responding to allegations that state Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir was paid Rs 1.19 crore by the TSD set up during his tenure to topple the Omar Abdullah government in 2010.
Gul earlier this month decided to summon General Singh over a breach of privilege.