Soz urges Delimitation Commission to take inputs from Kashmir's political parties, prominent citizens

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Prof. Saifuddin Soz has criticized the failure of the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission to invite prominent citizens of J&K including representatives of political parties to appear before it and suggested a list of names for this purpose.

“The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission has already courted controversy by not inviting representatives of political parties to appear before it. Instead, it has invited individuals as per a list, the author of which is yet to be known,” Soz said in a press release released on Tuesday.

“It is not yet known as to why it (the Commission) has not invited political parties, which could highlight public demands in a responsible manner. The Commission has not taken adequate notice of the fact that it has a very serious business of public interest on hand and it should deal with the subject rather seriously,” he added.

“Since the Commission is not seen quite serious about its business, some parties including the Congress party boycotted it at Jammu the other day. My intention is that the Commission should not leave any loophole in its business so that its conclusions are widely accepted,” Soz said.

“Further, my understanding is that even at this last stage, it should take measures not to allow any situation to get created which tarnishes its image. As a conscious citizen, I would suggest to the Commission that even at this stage, it should at least invite some prominent citizens who have expertise on the subject. I could suggest the following individuals from Kashmir: Mohammad Shafi Pandit, ex-Chief Secretary; Abdul Lateef Deva, former Chairman J&K Public Service Commission; Haseeb Drabu, former minister and chairman J&K Bank; Mohammad Saleem Beg, former Director General Tourism, J&K Govt. and Raja Muzzaffar, prominent RTI activist,” he said.