Srinagar, October 9
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul on Wednesday said he would summon former Army Chief General VK Singh (retd) to explain allegations that the Army’s secret fund was being used to pay mainstream political leaders of the state since 1947.

Amid uproar, the Speaker said VK Singh would be summoned to appear before the House and, if need arises, a special session would be convened to discuss the matter. The Speaker, however, did not fix a time-frame to summoning Singh, who had alleged money was being paid to ministers in the state for getting certain jobs done.

“I will not give any time-frame for summoning him, but it can happen very soon,” he said as legislators of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), BJP and Panthers Party shouted slogans seeking summoning of the Army ex-chief in the House, which was adjourned twice over the issue.

Earlier in the day, the Speaker said he had decided to write to VK Singh to explain his position. The ruling National Conference had moved a privilege motion in the Assembly against the former Army Chief on September 30. “I will give the former Army Chief an opportunity to explain his position,” Gul said. As the Speaker announced this, PDP legislators demanded that VK Singh should be summoned to the House. State Law Minister Mir Saiffullah, too, intervened and requested the Speaker to summon the former Army Chief.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti demanded voting on whether to summon the former Army Chief or write to him to explain his position. PDP members rushed to the well of the House and demanded voting on the issue.

The BJP and National Panthers Party (NPP) members urged the Speaker not to change his earlier decision in which he had said he would write to the former Army Chief seeking an explanation. The House was adjourned twice. As the House re-assembled, the Speaker said he had decided to summon VK Singh.

The PDP, BJP and NPP members, however, continued to raise slogans in the well of the House, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House sine die.

Meanwhile, the state Legislative Council also unanimously passed a resolution asking the Centre to conduct a time-bound and transparent inquiry into VK Singh's allegations. "This House unanimously resolves that the allegations levelled by retired Army chief VK Singh should be inquired in a time-bound and transparent manner," read the resolution, which was passed at the end of the two-day discussion over the issue.The state Assembly had on October 7 adopted a unanimous resolution asking the Centre to conduct a time-bound probe into VK Singh’s allegations.