Srinagar, September 18
The National Conference (NC) has alleged that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has set his eyes on the party’s oldest headquarters, Mujahid Manzil, after taking over the Muslim Auqaf Trust and the Sher-e-Kashmir National Medical Trust.
The legislators of the main opposition party called on the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Lieut-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd), at Raj Bhavan last evening and sought his intervention to stall the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from “flagrant invasion” of Mujahid Manzil.
The move came after the Chief Minister’s much-publicised visit to Mujahid Manzil on September 14.
The NC legislators led by Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, handed over a memorandum to the Governor.
“We urge you to use your good offices to stall the flagrant invasion unleashed by the Chief Minister and his cohorts to snatch this monument of unmatched significance from its lawful owner, National Conference,” the party said.
“Mr Sayeed and his government are hell-bent on encroaching upon the sacred precincts of Mujahid Manzil and divest the NC of its lawful, legitimate and legal possession. The attempt is part of Mr Sayeed’s hidden agenda to wipe out the premier torch-bearer of the state’s national movement and take away its symbols of struggle and sacrifice.”
Mujahid Manzil, located on the banks of the Jhelum at Pathar Masjid in the downtown city, was acquired by NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1933, following the British Glancy Commission’s recommendations to the Dogra Maharaja that the shrines and sites of public importance be restored to the people.
The building has the honour to receive great personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi on August 2, 1947. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Abdul Gaffar Khan and other front-ranking national leaders were frequent visitors to this place, the party said.
— UNI
