Jammu, Mar 31: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday termed the withdrawal of security cover from the National Conference (NC) headquarters in Srinagar a “matter of great concern” and questioned the administration’s timing, particularly weeks after a security scare involving party president Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Describing the removal of the security detail from the ‘Nawai Subh’ office as troubling, CM Omar said the earlier incident should have prompted an extension of security for NC leaders, not a reduction.
“It is a matter of great concern. Weeks before this, when Dr Farooq Abdullah was attacked, that was a difficult period. Despite that incident, there should have been an extension in the security for the NC leaders, yet authorities proceeded with the withdrawal,” the Chief Minister said.
He questioned the decision to remove the security cover, stating that Dr Farooq Abdullah visits the office two to three times a week. “Now tell me, what is the reason, what is the compulsion that you had to remove it? If we come to know about the arrangements, it will be good,” he added.
When asked about the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, CM Omar dismissed the query, saying it had no relevance to the country.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister informed the Legislative Assembly that his government is committed to filling 25,000 vacant posts in 2026, emphasising that the recruitment process will be transparent and time-bound.
Replying to a query from MLA Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, CM Omar said the issue has been discussed multiple times during the ongoing session. “Time-bound does not mean the process should be rushed in a manner that leads to court challenges and subsequent halts,” he said, warning against repeating past mistakes where selection lists were framed hastily, only to be challenged in courts.
Earlier in the day, CM Omar informed the House that bills amounting to ₹12,561.31 crore under various heads, including gratuity, commutation, leave salary and contractor payments, have been cleared up to March 27, 2026, while GPF bills worth ₹5,821.43 crore have been settled up to December 31, 2025.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the Finance portfolio, stated that financial liabilities of the government in the form of bills presented at treasuries are being cleared on a regular basis. He added that payments relating to contractors and retired employees are also processed at regular intervals.
He further informed that during the financial year 2025–26, the government has cleared ₹2,864.14 crore in gratuity, ₹1,123.22 crore in commutation, ₹773.47 crore in leave salary and ₹7,800.58 crore in contractor bills up to March 27, 2026, while GPF claims amounting to ₹5,821.43 crore have been settled up to December 31, 2025.
The Chief Minister also clarified that allocations are made on the basis of heads of expenditure rather than on a divisional basis, and accordingly, payments in the treasuries are accounted for head-wise.
Legislator R S Pathania also raised a supplementary to the question.
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