Termination notices served on 8 DM, M Ch students at SKIMS

Stand-off continues as patients unattended; attendants, employees out on demonstrations

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 19: Stand-off between resident doctors and non-gazetted employees entered a crucial phase on the sixth day of unrest today when administration of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, served termination notices on eight DM and M Ch students on their failure to end strike and report for duty. Even as the administration, led by Director SKIMS, Dr Shaukat Ali Zargar, was busy in a negotiations process with the agitating doctors till late tonight, doctors of the autonomous super-specialty hospital were mobilizing wider support from medical professionals in the state government’s Departments of Health and Medical Education.

Parallel to intermittent rounds of negotiations, Director SKIMS enforced his threat of ‘stringent action’ against the doctors on strike if they failed to act on today’s notice of resuming duty by 1300 hours. As they did not, termination notices were served on eight senior faculty students completing their post-doctoral courses, DM and M Ch, with SKIMS. Being continuously busy with the negotiations and invoking of strong-arm methods, Dr Shaukat Zargar was not accessible for media.

However, a senior doctor at Hospital Administration confirmed to Early Times that notices of cancellation of registration were slapped on eight DM and M Ch students at 1600 hours after they declined to resume duties. He asserted that Director was personally holding the negotiations with the agitating doctors and there was a stark possibility of breakthrough till late tonight.

Other informed sources said that the 500 doctors---DM, M Ch, MD, MS, Junior Residents and Senior Residents---began parallel efforts to seek solidarity of thousands of fellow doctors working with different, medical colleges, hospitals and health centres all over the state. Representatives of Doctors Association of Kashmir were in touch with the agitating SKIMS and SKIMS Medical College doctors till late this evening.

Both sides, according to sources, were weighing options and devising future course of action while awaiting the outcome of tonight’s negotiation process between the Resident Doctors Association of SKIMS and the SKIMS administration led by the hospital’s Director.

The stand-off began last week when SKIMS security staff clashed with two junior resident doctors and did not allow them to park vehicles at a particular parking lot. The brawl turned violent when two security officials and two non-security officials---one of them a clerk in Academic Section---exchanged fists and blows and one of the doctors, namely Dr Mubashir, a 3^rd year PG student, sustained injuries. His associate, Dr Arafat, a Sr Resident, came to his rescue and rushed him to the hospital casualty for medical treatment. He has been discharged a couple of days ago.

Soon, both resident doctors, about 500 in number, and non-gazetted employees, numbering 4500, proceeded on strike with conflicting demands. The hospital administration ordered attachment of the two accused non-gazetted officials in an attempt to pacify the 500 resident doctors on strike. While the doctors expressed dissatisfaction and demanded FIR besides suspension of the two ‘delinquent officials’, the non-gazetted employees threatened to go for total shutdown in case the attachment orders were not withdrawn.

Finally, Director SKIMS revoked the orders. That led to suspension of the strike by 4500-strong non-gazetted employees union. They previously formed a 2000-strong procession and staged demonstration while using public address system to project their demands. Consequently, no tests or other laboratory works could be executed for four days, till the agitation was called off last evening.

However, the agitating doctors intensified their strike and all medical and surgery operations, including OPD, with exception of skeletal emergency services, have remained frozen for the 5^th day today. Normally, 1500 to 2000 patients are treated daily at OPD of SKIMS in addition to 200 to 250 at Emergency. Even as the casualty is functional and nearly 200 patients are attended during strike, almost 90 percent of the OPD patients have been going back daily after failing to get examined by a doctor.

On the other hand, a large number of patients have been discharged on their request. Attendants in large numbers staged demonstrations as many as three times, once going upto Police Station Soura. Under the atmosphere of slogans and counter-slogans, work in most of the departments has come to a grinding hall and an unprecedented stand-off is aggravating with every passing day at SKIMS.

END

Govt sanctions permission to prosecute former minister

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, July 19: The Jammu and Kashmir government has accorded sanction to prosecution of former Minister Abdul Gani Vakil for having leveled “defamatory allegations” against Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Taj Mohiuddin which had appeared in some local news papers during January and February this year. Both the senior politician belong to Congress party.

In a notification issued on Thursday by Department of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, under SRO No: 232, Secretary Law and Parliamentary, Ghulam Hassan Tantray, is reported to have notified prosecution sanction against the senior Congress leader and former Minister incharge Social Welfare, whose term as MLC expired earlier this year.

“After having been satisfied with the material available with me, I hereby accord sanction for prosecution of Sh Abdul Gani Vakil ex- minister… for making false, malicious and defamatory allegations/imputations in various local newspapers published in January / February 2012 against Taj Mohiuddin Minister PHE, I&FC department”, reads the order approved by Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar.

“Choudary Mohammad Shabir, Public Prosecutor, Jammu, is directed to file complaint under section 500 RPC before Sessions Judge, Jammu”, reads the order.

END

GOC 15 Corps: 300 militants operating in Valley, 600 more ready to enter from PaK

‘US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 will have disastrous impact in region’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 17: Lt Gen Atta Hasnain’s successor and the newly appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15^th Corps, Lt Gen Om Prakash, today indicated Army’s continued opposition to revocation of J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) when he claimed that despite the thaw in violence as many as 200 to 300 militants were operating in Kashmir valley. He claimed that 500 to 600 more Pakistan-trained and armed militants were ready to infiltrate into the Valley from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

At his maiden interaction with media in Srinagar, Lt Gen Om Prakash chose to be non-committal on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s unrealized demand of withdrawing AFSPA. He, however, described the situation as not-so-normal with his assertion that inspite of the al-pervading indications of peace and normality, 200 to 300 militants were still active in the Valley. According to him, maximum of the remnants of guerrilla concentration was currently in north Kashmir. Gen Prakash claimed that 500 to 600 more militants were “ready to infiltrate” into the Valley from PaK as Pakistan had not completely dismantled the terror infrastructure. He claimed that indoctrination, training, funding and arming the militants was continuing across the border.

Head of all ground troops---combat as well as counterinsurgent--- in Kashmir, Gen Prakash said that insurgency had been decisively crushed over the last 23 years in J&K. He said that the state had  witnessed a turning point in the situation in the years around 2000 when nearly two thousand militants were wiped out by security forces in just one calendar year. He said that the improvement in situation and reduction of militancy was a continuous process and the state was already enjoying many of its dividends but asserted that zero-infiltration and zero-violence was not possible until Pakistan stopped her support to militants. He said that geography and terrain around the LoC and International Border between India and Pakistan was also significantly responsible for continuance of infiltration and militant activity in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that some of the militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, were also recruiting, indoctrinating and equipping cadres locally.

 Gen Prakash expressed his apprehension on the potentially dangerous situation emerging in Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to him, scheduled withdrawal of the American troops from Afghanistan in 2014 could have catastrophic implications on the entire Afghanistan-Pakistan-India region, particularly on the strife-ravaged state of Jammu and Kashmir.

“India wants stable and peaceful Afghanistan that is why it is helping the country to build its infrastructure,” he added.

Gen Prakash described the recent incidents of terror, particularly the killing of a soldier in broad daylight at the highway township of Pampore, as “serious” and claimed that armed forces had observed maximum possible restraint and avoided retaliation of firing for fear of civilian casualties.

As regards the security on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which has currently tourism and Amrnath pilgrimage as the most dominating features, Gen Prakash said that security forces and Police had intensified their surveillance, more so in the wake of certain inputs that indicated possibility of militants strikes in South Kashmir.

Contrary to apprehensions of sports icons like Sunil Gavaskar, Gen Prakash believed that revival of cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan could ease out tension and lead to more dividends of peace between the two countries.

END

First time salvo from NC: Kamaal calls Geelani ‘traitor, trader of death and destruction’

Sheikh Abdullah’s son shifts fire from Gupkar Road to Hyderpora, Congress, trains his gun on firebrand Hurriyat chief

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 15: Apparently stung by a hardline separatist leader’s tirade against his father and founder of the mainstream National Conference (NC) Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Dr Mustafa Kamaal has spewed a full volley of venom on Hurriyat (G) Chairman and former Jamaat-e-Islami ideologue Syed Ali Shah Geelani. It is for the first time, not only in the last 42 months of Omar Abdullah government but also in 23 years of the armed strike in Kashmir, that a mainstream politician has mustered courage to publicly denigrate the octogenarian separatist icon as a “traitor”, “ISI agent” and “trader of death and destruction”.   

In a statement, characteristic of his virulence against the Sheikh dynasty on anniversary of the Kashmiri martyrs of July 13, 1931, Geelani had accused the NC founder as being “power hungry” and betrayed the people of the state.

Dr Kamaal, NC’s additional General Secretary and MLA from Hazratbal called Geelani “a four time MLA, who has been drawing pension and has been even on the payroll of ISI”.  “Should we consider him fit enough to talk about morality?” Kamaal asked.

“Whenever even a Pakistani clerk comes to India and summons this former legislator, he rushes to Delhi to take dictation about how to sustain uncertainty and turbulence in the state” said Kamaal. He alleged that Geelani was directly responsible for over a hundred civilian deaths in Police action as it was he who had provoked youngsters to resort to violence and stone pelting in the year 2010.

Kamal said Geelani had all along tried to ignite and incite people with hollow slogans and destructive emotionalism. “But the Kashmiris do now understand his duplicity and personal vengeance against Sher-i-Kashmir and National Conference”, he asserted.

“People haven’t forgotten how he has been the recipient of illegal munificence from sources inimical to Kashmir including the UK based Kashmiri expatriates” Dr Kamaal said about Geelani in the fiery statement.

“Had Sher-e-Kashmir been power hungry, he wouldn’t have spent 24 years of his life in jail”, Dr Kamaal said about his father who campaigned for terminating monarchy, spearheaded a separatist movement for 22 years and functioned as head of the government for 12 years. “Sher-i-Kashmir never compromised his principles while as Geelani as a Muslim United Front MLA, along with his associates and 18 councilors, preferred luxuries of the government but never thought of the people?  Why didn’t they resign then,” Kamaal asked.

“Supporting in the elections the people who were responsible for the massacre of innocent civilians at Gawkadal, and the carnage at a funeral procession that mourned Mirwaiz Farooq’s death in firing,  indicates the direction of Geelani’s loyalties”, Dr Kamaal said and questioned the Hurriyat chief’s credentials of berating Sheikh Abdullah.

“From a small hut near Wullar to a small little house in Sopore to a palatial building in the posh Hyderpora, this leader has only grown by his bank balance” Kamal said. “Now this ex-legislator has the audacity to don the mantle of a messiah” he added.

NC’s additional General Secretary said that the rights of the people of J&K have been protected by the instrument of accession which clearly mentions that nothing in the instrument shall be deemed to commit me in any way to acceptance of any future constitution of India or to fetter my discretion to enter into arrangements with the Government of India under any such future Constitutor.

“These opportunistic leaders like Geelani have all along come in different faces to weaken NC and state’s special status”, Kamaal said. “If these  leaders had their way, they would have abrogated article 370 long back” he asserted. Kamal reiterated Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s challenge to Geelani to raise the issue of non-state subjects continuously being settled by Pakistan in PaK.

“Kashmiri Pandits are part and parcel of the state and we will not sit in rest until we ensure their return to their homeland with full sense of security and dignity”, Dr Kamaal said. “People like Geelani have all along tried to dilute and weaken the concept of Kashmiriyat” he concluded.

END

How all inquiries failed in Health appointment scam --- (4)

Brazen nepotism, corruption ruled the roost in Anantnag, Kulgam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 13: With most of the fraudulent appointments in the Department of Health happening in the South Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Kulgam, middle-rung officials enjoyed a field day in illegally absorbing scores of their relatives in addition to hundreds others against cash payment. Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), Block Medical Officers (BMOs), Accounts Officers (AOs) and Treasury Officers, alongwith their clerks, broke all records of fraudulent appointments from 1996 to 2011. While most of the complaints fell on the deaf ears of the authorities, others were paradoxically used to blackmail the beneficiaries and extort more money from them.

Modus operandi

 Successive CMOs have been found to have issued most of the fraudulent orders under a particular pattern. In certain cases, they have simply issued transfer orders, shifting subordinate Class 3^rd and Class 4^th officials from one block to another. However, like in a previous appointment scandal in Department of Education, that surfaced in 1993-95 period in Anantnag district, the transferred officials had actually never been appointed into Government service. Fixed amounts of money have been collected from the clients and the fake “transfer orders” issued.

In compliance to these “orders”, the unemployed clients appeared before particular BMOs as the “transferred officials” and submitted their joining reports. Fraudulently created service books and last Pay Certificates (LPCs) followed and the “appointees” continued to project themselves as “old employees” while continuously drawing their salaries. This became possible only where the AOs, AAOs and Treasury Officers were duly roped in. Close relatives of the CMOs, BMOs, and their godfathers in politics and bureaucracy, were exempted from paying bribes but money was collected without relaxation from other clients, including distant relatives, neighbours and acquaintances.

However, in over 80% of the cases, clients were falsely shown by the CMOs as ‘Consolidate Paid Safaiwallas’ (CSWs) and “regularized” into the regular Class 4^th pay scale of Rs 4440- Rs 7440 (pre-revised Rs 2550- Rs 3200). Fake dispatch numbers of the letters from Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHK) were recorded against Subject and Reference on these “orders”. These “orders” were issued and got implemented despite the fact that neither the CMOs nor successive Directors had, by law, any authority or competence to regularize even the factually engaged CSWs. Most of these “orders” from office of CMO do not carry any Order Number. Copies of these “orders” are invariably purported to have been dispatched to DHK but records at the Directorate indicate that no such documents or correspondences exist.

“In pursuance to reference quoted above in the subject, Shri Mohammad Amin Moochi S/o Jala ud-Din Moochi R/o Khannabal consolidated paid Safaiwallah of Block Mattan in hereby placed in the grade of 4440-7440 with the grade pay attached to the scale revised (2550-3200) against the available vacancy at Block Mattan. The Block Medical Officer will allow to join the candidate after proper verification of required certificates”, says the text of an “Order” issued by then CMO Anantnag, and now Deputy Director (Schemes) at DHK, Dr Nazir Ahmad Hakeem. It has been issued under endorsement No: EST/SW/4337-38 Dated 22-03-2010. Insiders insist that it could not have been possible in absence of coordination with then Director Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Mohammad Amin Wani, concerned Accounts Officer and Treasury Officer.

Early Times is exclusively in possession of dozens of identically drafted, issued and implemented “Orders”, mostly issued by CMOs of Anantnag and Kulgam. Almost all blocks of the two districts, particularly Pahalgam, Mattan, Shangus, Larnoo, Sallar, Anantnag, Qazigund and Kulgam, have witnessed this free-for-all loot of the state exchequer. Competence and integrity of Finance Ministers like Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Abdul Rahim Rather, has failed to be a deterrent. Notwithstanding a deluge of complaints and so-called inquiries, not a single of the fraudulently appointed/absorbed officials has been denied salary or dismissed.

All the delinquent officials of the departments of Health and Finance, who have played key role in the Health appointment mafia, have not only retained prize postings but have also been promoted to higher positions. Although, different departments and organisations are on record to have initiated inquiries over dozens of complaints received by senior authorities, no disciplinary or criminal action has been taken against the delinquent officers or the people they have appointed through fraudulent means.

Hush up

In one particular case, a former Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag is on record to have ordered an inquiry through District Employment Officer of Anantnag. Substantial evidences of criminal conduct by then CMO were collected with regard to fraudulent regularization of seven of such appointees in Mattan Block. It was established during the inquiry that one Sr Assistant, namely Ghulam Qadir, had got a number of his clients appointed through CMO Anantnag. Gh Qadir was found to have got fraudulently appointed his own brother-in-law and some other relatives in Larnoo and Mattan blocks and also his own son in Larnoo block. The investigation was completely hushed up after the accused officials greased the palms of the officers conducting the inquiry. In connivance with AO and Treasury Officer, all of the fraudulent appointees are continuously working and drawing their salaries from the state exchequer.

Head Assistant at office of CMO Anantnag, Pir Mohammad Shafi, is known to have got fraudulently appointed his younger brother, Pir Mohammad Ashraf, as Junior Assistant on ‘adhoc basis’ in 1996 and later got him fraudulently regularized by CMO Anantnag. Same official was later promoted to the rank of Sr Assistant. In 2006, he also got similarly appointed another client, namely Rayees Ahmad, as Class 4^th official. On a complaint, then Director Health Kashmir, Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, canceled the appointment but due to Shafi’s clout, Rayees is continuously working and taking his salary in block Achhabal.

Shafi also got another of his clients, namely Irshad Ahmad Dar, fraudulently appointed as a class 4^th official in block Qazigund. By way of CMO’s another fraudulent order, Shafi also got his own relative, Abdul Majid Shah, appointed in Anantnag. By another CMO, he also got a Driver fraudulently regularized in block Sallar. According to the established charges, he also got a number of his clients (CSWs) “regularized” as Class 4^th officials in Mattan, Achhabal and Sallar blocks in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The siblings have been notoriously controlling Mattan, Acchabal, Sallar and Larnoo blocks.

According to the allegations, the duo has also got appointed Lateef Ahmad Narwari of Srinagar and Shabir Ahmad (brother of Sr Assistant Ghulam Rasool) in block Shangus, Jr Assistant of Shangus Block, Nasir Ahmad, alongwith his wife, Ishrat, then CMO Dr Nazir Hakeem’s relative, Samir Ahmad Nawab, besides one Imran against Class 4^th vacancies by the CMO who had no authority or competence by law. An Accounts Officer conducted another inquiry and most of the charges were proved during the process. However, he too hushed up the inquiry fully after the Health officers appointed two of his brothers against Class 4^th vacancies in Shopian district. A huge amount of money was additionally paid to the AO as bribe money. Records indicate that Vigilance Organisation too initiated preliminary verifications in at least three matters in South Kashmir but the investigation did not progress to its logical conclusion---allegedly due to payment of bribe money.

Political will?

Now that the number of the accused officers is running into dozens and those of the illegal appointees into hundreds, in at least 12 districts of J&K, unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats have begun to scuttle the whole process with their hackneyed argument---‘it could lead to unrest among hundreds of families ahead of the 2014 elections’! Would Minister of Health, Sham Lal Sharma, still proceed against the guilty and terminate the services of all the 1000-odd illegal appointees in absence of the coalition government’s political will? It is a big question mark.

[Concluded]

END

[It has been pointed out by one of the followers of this blog that Ms Barjees, as mentioned in the following story posted on June 17 last year, is the daughter of  calligraphist Mr Misgar, not of Mr Miskeen. It is, accordingly, corrected. Inconvenience if caused to anybody is regretted-----AAF]

DNA is superior to Ph D in Cultural Academy

A rehabilitation centre for sons and daughters of litterateurs and journalists

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jun 17: When arguably the tallest of the contemporary literary figures in Jammu & Kashmir, Prof Rehman Rahi, wrote appreciation of his own daughter, Nausheen Nighat, while pushing her for promotion from Assistant Editor to Editor, sometime back, one of the Valley’s top leading newspapers carried a story. In short span of few years, Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture & Languages, commonly known as Cultural Academy, has become a rehabilitation centre for sons, daughters and other relatives of litterateurs and journalists.

Politicians, bureaucrats at work to hush up Health appointment scam --- (3)

Minister Sham Lal: All delinquent officials, illegal appointees since 1996 will be punished soon

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 12: Even as Minister of Health, Sham Lal Sharma, today asserted that all the officials of his department involved in the infamous Health appointment scam, as also all the 1,000-odd illegal appointees, would be punished, dozens of influential bureaucrats and politicians, including Ministers, have begun sustained efforts to once again hush up the matter.

Minister of Health, Sham Lal Sharma, called this correspondent from Jammu to make it clear that the appointment scam involving officials of his department spanned over the last 16 years. “This is a fact that a couple of hundred appointments have taken place in 2009-2011 period but this mess has actually begun in 1996”, Sharma asserted. He admitted that 1,000 to 1,200 men and women had been fraudulently appointed in Health Department since 1996 but claimed that most of these were the illegal beneficiaries of 1996-2008 period. In its current series on the scandal, Early Times had reported yesterday that the number of illegal appointees in Health Department was believed to be around 1,000.

Mr Sharma claimed that current investigation would reach its logical conclusion “at any cost” as he was determined to punish all the delinquent officers on the basis of the final report of the inquiry being conducted by Special Secretary Health Iftikharul Hasnain Bari. He made it clear that all the 1000 to 12oo illegal beneficiaries would be got identified and prosecuted against and the government’s action in the matter would include termination of the services of all the fraudulently appointed incumbents. “Let there be absolutely no doubt about that”, Mr Sharma asserted.

Well placed sources in the government, meanwhile, disclosed to Early Times that political and bureaucratic mentors of the delinquent officers and the illegal appointees had suddenly activated themselves with the purpose of getting the investigation, as well as the government action against the guilty, stalled. This pressure group, according to sources, included a number of Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and senior and middle ranking bureaucrats and officials. If these sources are to be believed, one of two investigating teams had submitted its preliminary report about the irregularities in Anantnag district but the exercise in its other districts---Budgam, Pulwama and Shopian---had been temporarily frozen. Deputy Director (Dentistry) Dr Abdul Rashid Shah, is heading the inquiry in Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts.

Nodal Officer of Mental Health at Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Ghulam Ahmad Wani is heading another inquiry in Ganderbal, Bandipore, Baramulla and Kupwara districts. He has not submitted even the preliminary report about any of the four districts so far. Sources said that Special Secretary Health Mr Bari would carry out a focused and specific process of investigation on the basis of the findings of the two teams of Directorate of Health Services Kashmir. An identical exercise is likely to begun under supervision of DHS Jammu, Dr Madhu Khullar, in a couple of days.

As already reported, seven senior and middle rung officials of Department of Health Services have been attached earlier this week, pending inquiry against them. They, according to official sources, have been identified as the key actors in the appointment mafia in Anantnag and Kulgam districts. They include then CMO Anantnag and now Deputy Director (Schemes) at DHS Kashmir, Dr Nazir Ahmad Hakeem.

Authoritative sources revealed exclusively to Early Times that BMO Shangus, Dr Iqbal Bichoo, had already been attached to office of CMO Anantnag but now he is among the seven officers attached to DHS Kashmir. He is alleged to have got his wife, Dr Samina Akhtar, appointed fraudulently “on contractual basis” and also got him posted under himself in Block Shangus. Then CMO Anantnag, Dr Nazir Ahmad Hakeem, has been found by the inquiry as the man who has played key role in Dr Samina’s appointment as Dental Surgeon “on contractual basis” in Shangus Block. A letter with forged or scanned signatures of then Deputy Director Headquarters, Dr Avtar Krishen Pir, and purportedly addressed to CMO Anantnag claims that Dr Samina was required to be appointed on the recommendation of “Hon'ble Minister of State for Health”. This inspite of the fact that there was neither an elected government nor any “MOS Health” on 18-11-2008 when the letter is claimed to have been written and dispatched.

Dr Hakeem is alleged to have also arranged similar illegal appointment of over a hundred people including a number of his relations. He and all other six attached officers are residents of Anantnag and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir. Sources revealed that, among them all, CMO Kulgam Dr Altaf Ahmad Beg, had not been found directly involved but he, in coordination with then CMO Kulgam Dr Nazir Hakeem, is found to have managed fraudulent appointment of several youth in Kulgam area. These beneficiaries notably include son and daughter of CMO’s Sectional Officer Manzoor Ahmad Shah.

Sources revealed that the inquiry found BMO Mattan, Dr Gauhar Abbas---also presently incharge of Amarnath pilgrimage from Pahalgam side---involved in fraudulent appointment of a number of his relatives including his own brother. Dy CMO of Anantnag, Dr Abdul Rashid Matoo, has been attached on his alleged involvement in similar appointments. However, during the questioning he claimed that his signatures had been forged on all the fraudulent appointment orders.

[To be continued]

END