Nasir Aslam Wani appointed new J&K CM Omar Abdullah's Advisor

Srinagar, Oct 16 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday appointed senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani as Advisor to new Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

"Nasir Aslam Wani is hereby appointed as Advisor to the Chief Minister, J&K. The terms and conditions of the appointment will be notified separately," the General Administration Department said in an order.

Wani lost the J&K assembly election from the Kupwara constituency to Fayaz Ahmad Mir of the PDP.

His appointment followed the meeting of administrative Secretaries chaired by Chief Minister Abdullah.

Omar Abdullah was earlier administered the oath of office and secrecy by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, along with five ministers - Surinder Choudhary, Sakina Itoo, Javaid Ahmad Rana, Javaid Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma.

Omar Abdullah later announced that he was deputing Choudhary as the Deputy Chief Minister to give proper representation to the Jammu division as he had promised before forming the government.

Omar Abdullah has taken over as the 14th Chief Minister of J&K, having served the previously full six-year term from 2009 to 2015 as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile J&K state.

Meanwhile, the Congress said that it will support the government from outside.

Squashing rumours about differences between the NC and the Congress over ministerial berths, Congress legislature party leader G.A. Mir told reporters: "We are very much part of the government."

He reiterated the party’s "principled stand on the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir", saying that the Congress will not take the posts until statehood is fully restored. He emphasised that this position is non-negotiable and reflects the party’s commitment to the rights of the people of J&K.

"We did not contest this election for power, but for restoration of the people’s rights. The question of ministerial posts is irrelevant at this point. Our priority remains the restoration of statehood," Mir said.

He called on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to honour the mandate given by the people, which Mir believes clearly indicates a desire for the return of statehood. "The people have spoken and the Prime Minister should respect their will," he said.

Mir also clarified that despite not joining the ministry, the Congress remains an integral part of the government.

"We are fully aligned with our INDIA bloc allies and we are committed to working together to achieve our collective goal," he said.

--IANS

sq/vd