Srinagar, Feb 13: In the wake of stringent curfew in Kashmir for the past five days, ministers in the state, irrespective of their status and the domain of work, seem to have been assigned with the new task: “take stock of essential commodities.”
This, however, hasn’t gone well with the observers who see it as an “irony of sorts.” “It is an irony that all the ministers are busy taking stock of essentials while bothering least about the stringent curfew in place for the five straight days since Saturday,” said a political analyst, who has been closely observing the events unfolding post-Afzal Guru’s hanging on February 9. “What are the essentials meant for when people are not allowed to venture out of their homes, especially in major towns of the Valley, including Srinagar?”
Pertinently, a number of official handouts on Tuesday said the ministers—both of the cabinet and MOS status—have taken stock of the availability of essential commodities and medicines in the curfew-bound areas of the Valley. These include the Finance Minister Abdur Rahim Rather, Minister of State for Home Sajad Ahmad Kichloo, Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo, Minister for CA&PD Chaudhary Muhammad Ramzan and Minister for Rural Development Ali Muhammad Sagar. On Wednesday, a similar situation was visible when the official handouts named a number of ministers who took “stock of essentials” during the day. These included Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Saifullah and Minister for Hajj Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed.
The ministers’ “new assignment” has, according to an official handout, come on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who asked the ministers of ruling National Conference and Congress to remain at their respective district headquarters to take stock of the security and ensure that no untoward incident takes place.
Observers say the ministers should advise government to lift the siege first. “There is no denying the fact that adequate essentials may be available for people, as the government claims. But the problem is when the siege is not lifted, there is no fun taking stock of these commodities,” said Aqib Ahmad, a student. “It is a mockery that the government is painting a deceptive picture of the situation: that as if the curfew has been lifted and people are now in need of essentials. The reality is that there is a stringent siege in place which has to be lifted first. And that should be the priority for the government and the ministers.”

Lastupdate on : Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST