Who is lying Mr Gurezi: Early Times or Mubarak Gul?
CM’s Advisor offers to resign if proved guilty of seeking DD’s contract as MLA

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 1: Ruling National Conference’s fourth-time MLA from Iddgah, Chief Whip in Legislative Assembly, Chairman of a House Committee, member of several House Committees and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Advisor, Mubarak Gul, who is holding the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister, today declared on the floor of the House that he would resign if it was proved that Doordarshan’s Rs 18 Lakh project had been allotted to him during his term as MLA. He claimed that it was a “three-year-old assignment” when he was neither CM’s Advisor nor MLA.

Mr Mubarak Gul’s statement came in reaction to some PDP MLAs’ demand that he should be dismissed as MLA for having contravened provisions of J&K Constitution and J&K Representation of Peoples Act by way of submitting his empanelment application and a programme proposal to Doordarshan and thereafter appearing in an interview as a private producer and getting Rs 18 Lakh project allotted in his own name. PDP’s MLA from Shangus, Pirzada Mansoor Hussain, and some other MLAs displayed copies of today’s Early Times during Zero Hour and complained to Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone, that the NC MLA had lowered the dignity of the House, misused his official position and status and entered into a business deal with a Government controlled organization.

While asserting that the MLA had forfeited his membership by entering into a business contract with the Government of India, PDP MLAs demanded that Mr Gul should be dismissed from membership of Assembly.

During a heated exchange with the Opposition, Mr Gul claimed that his presentation and subsequently the allotment of a Kashmiri drama serial was “three-year-old thing” when, according to him, he was neither an elected legislator nor CM's Advisor. Thereupon, another NC MLA, Mr Nazir Gurezi, suggested Mr Gul to move a motion of the breach of privilege against Early Times. Mr Mansoor presented a copy of the newspaper to Speaker and requested him to take cognizance and necessary action in the matter.

In the wake of Mr Gul’s statement on the floor of the House, Early Times once again checked the details and found that Mr Gul had been continuously working as an elected MLA from Iddgah since 1996 till date with the break of nearly six months when Assembly remained dissolved from July 2008 to December 2008. It was observed that no development had taken place during these six months with regard to Mr Gul’s efforts of getting a production project allotted in his name for his firm ‘Gulistan Productions’.

With full sense of responsibility and welcoming any motion of the breach of privilege, Early Times is yet again making it clear, on the basis of incontrovertible evidence (available on DD’s official website www.ddindia.gov.in/Information/KashirChannel) that DD’s notification seeking applications from private television producers was issued by Directorate General of Doordarshan on 30-11-2007, when Mr Gul was serving his third term as MLA from Iddgah. His 3rd term as MLA had started in October 2002 and ended with the dissolution of Assembly in July 2008. During the same period, Mr Gul submitted his application for empanelment as DD’s private producer in December 2007. Last date for submitting these applications was 27-12-2007. Thus, even three years before, Mr Gul was very much an MLA.

As crystal clear in ‘Final Result Recent DD Presentation (June 2 August 2009)’ on the website, Mr Gul has personally appeared before DD’s Evaluation Committee with presentation of his business project ‘Azla Lone’ (Destiny) on 23-06-2009 when he was serving his fourth term as MLA from Iddgah. His name is figuring on serial number 30 of the category ‘A’ producers in the list available on DD’s website.
This term, which is in progress for six years, had begun in December 2008. Allotment of the programme was issued, received and accepted by him in October 2009 when he was continuously existing as MLA and had also been appointed as CM's Advisor. Allottee producers have signed the agreements with Doordarshan in the months of January and February 2010. Thus it is clear that it is a matter of Mr Gul’s fourth and the current term as MLA, not a “three-year-old thing’.
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