Senior PDP leader Haseeb Drabu said on Tuesday said J&amp;K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti&#39;s decision to sack him as the state&#39;s finance minister came as a surprise to him and added the manner in which he was informed about it was shocking.

Drabu said he got no chance to explain his side and learnt the party&#39;s decision through the media. The senior, however, added that he bore ill will against no one.

&quot;The decision to drop me did come as a surprise but what was shocking was the manner and method of communicating it,&quot; Drabu, seen as the architect of the ruling PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, said in a statement here.

Drabu, &nbsp;the co-author of Agenda of Alliance between the two parties, was dropped from the council of ministers yesterday following his remarks that Kashmir was not a political issue.

The former finance minister said he understood and accepted the party&#39;s decision to drop him but it was painful that it was through media that he came to know about. &nbsp;

&quot;While I understand and accept the decision of the party, to talk to media before talking to me, was painful. I was not accorded the opportunity to explain the context and the content of my speech,&quot; he said.

Drabu, who was considered close to the BJP leadership, expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Mufti for giving him the opportunity to contribute towards accomplishing the PDP mission.

&quot;Notwithstanding this, I am very grateful to Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) Sahib and Mehbooba ji to have been given the opportunity to contribute in whatever small way I could in accomplishing the party patron&#39;s vision of addressing the distressing situation in and around Jammu and Kashmir which has jeopardised the security, peace and prosperity of the people of the state and imperilled stability in the subcontinent,&quot; he said.

My association with PDP dates back to those years when I wasn&#39;t even formally into politics, he reminisced. The rapport I enjoyed with its late founder and patron is something that I would cherish all my life, Drabu added. &nbsp;

He said the &quot;unflinching confidence&quot; that Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) always reposed in him and the relationship of trust that &quot;we shared, is my source of strength&quot; to endure this situation.

&quot;Not for nothing did he entrust me with the task of negotiating with the BJP and make me the pointsman for the alliance which was later continued by Mehbooba ji. Every single meeting, discussion and negotiations were done with the knowledge and consent of the patron and the (party) president,&quot; he said. &nbsp;Drabu assured people of his constituency, Rajpora, in Pulwama district that he will continue to work for them.

&quot;I am very grateful to them for their love and affection. I must thank Mehbooba ji for reposing trust in me which helped this government to set off so many pioneering initiatives in the specific area of public expenditure management and generally in the fronts of economic development. &nbsp;I bear no ill will against anyone. That&#39;s simply not my way of being,&quot; he added.

Drabu, the co-author of Agenda of Alliance between the two parties, was dropped from the council of ministers yesterday following his remarks that Kashmir was not a political issue

Senior PDP leader Haseeb Drabu said on Tuesday said J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's decision to sack him as the state's finance minister came as a surprise to him and added the manner in which he was informed about it was shocking. Drabu said he got no chance to explain his side and learnt the party's decision through the media. The senior, however, added that he bore ill will against no one. "The decision to drop me did come as a surprise but what was shocking was the manner and method of communicating it," Drabu, seen as the architect of the ruling PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, said in a statement here. Drabu, the co-author of Agenda of Alliance between the two parties, was dropped from the council of ministers yesterday following his remarks that Kashmir was not a political issue. The former finance minister said he understood and accepted the party's decision to drop him but it was painful that it was through media that he came to know about. "While I understand and accept the decision of the party, to talk to media before talking to me, was painful. I was not accorded the opportunity to explain the context and the content of my speech," he said. Drabu, who was considered close to the BJP leadership, expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Mufti for giving him the opportunity to contribute towards accomplishing the PDP mission. "Notwithstanding this, I am very grateful to Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) Sahib and Mehbooba ji to have been given the opportunity to contribute in whatever small way I could in accomplishing the party patron's vision of addressing the distressing situation in and around Jammu and Kashmir which has jeopardised the security, peace and prosperity of the people of the state and imperilled stability in the subcontinent," he said. My association with PDP dates back to those years when I wasn't even formally into politics, he reminisced. The rapport I enjoyed with its late founder and patron is something that I would cherish all my life, Drabu added. He said the "unflinching confidence" that Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) always reposed in him and the relationship of trust that "we shared, is my source of strength" to endure this situation. "Not for nothing did he entrust me with the task of negotiating with the BJP and make me the pointsman for the alliance which was later continued by Mehbooba ji. Every single meeting, discussion and negotiations were done with the knowledge and consent of the patron and the (party) president," he said. Drabu assured people of his constituency, Rajpora, in Pulwama district that he will continue to work for them. "I am very grateful to them for their love and affection. I must thank Mehbooba ji for reposing trust in me which helped this government to set off so many pioneering initiatives in the specific area of public expenditure management and generally in the fronts of economic development. I bear no ill will against anyone. That's simply not my way of being," he added.

Decision to drop me came as a surprise, manner in which it was conveyed shocking, says Haseeb Drabu

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday sacked Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu from the cabinet after a political storm over his controversial remarks that the Kashmir issue should be seen as a social and not a political problem.

One of the architects of the PDP-BJP alliance in the state was unceremoniously removed from the council of ministers by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over his remarks that the Kashmir issue was not a political one, officials said.

The chief minister, who returned from the national capital to Jammu, shot off a letter to the state Governor N N Vohra requesting him to drop Drabu from her council of ministers with immediate effect, PDP sources said.

The Governor, after examining the letter, wrote back to the chief minister conveying his nod to her request to drop the 57-year-old Drabu from her council of ministers, officials said.

Since yesterday, pressure was mounting on Drabu, who played a key role in stitching an alliance with the BJP during Mufti Mohammed Sayeed&#39;s tenure earlier and again when Mehbooba Mufti became the chief minister, after newspapers published his remarks that people were &quot;barking up the wrong tree&quot; as the Kashmir issue was not a political issue.

&quot;It (JK) is not a political issue as far as I can see. They have been barking up the wrong tree for the last 50 or 70 years by talking about the politics of it; that the political situation has never improved. We seriously need to look at in terms of how it is a society that is in search for itself,&quot; Drabu had said at an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on Friday.

Following the sudden development, the state cabinet meeting scheduled tomorrow was deferred by a week.

&quot;JK State Cabinet meeting which was scheduled to be held tomorrow at 12.30 pm has been postponed. It will be now be held on 20, March 2018 at 11 am,&quot; J&amp;K&#39;s Department of Information and Public Relations tweeted.

Drabu, a former Business Standard editor, was known to be close to late Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, father of Mehbooba Mufti.

He plunged into politics in 2014 when he joined the PDP and successfully contested the Assembly elections from his home constituency Rajpora in south Kashmir`s Pulwama district.

He was the chairman and CEO of the Jammu &amp; Kashmir Bank from 2005 to 2010.

He was the economic advisor to the state during the PDP-Congress coalition that came to power after the 2002 elections.

Drabu began his economist career in 1990 when he was appointed with the Perspective Planning Division of the Planning Commission. He was also a consultant to the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister and finally with the 10th Finance Commission.

He also served as a consultant to the Asian Development Bank.

Drabu had earlier too been caught up in controversy when in March 2014 JKLF leader Yaseen Malik, a militant-turned-separatist politician, said the economist was an advisor to his group in the early 1990s when it started an insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir.

(With the inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti sacked senior PDP leader and state finance minister Haseeb Drabu, days after he remarked that the situation in the state shouldn't be seen as a political problem

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday sacked Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu from the cabinet after a political storm over his controversial remarks that the Kashmir issue should be seen as a social and not a political problem. One of the architects of the PDP-BJP alliance in the state was unceremoniously removed from the council of ministers by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over his remarks that the Kashmir issue was not a political one, officials said. The chief minister, who returned from the national capital to Jammu, shot off a letter to the state Governor N N Vohra requesting him to drop Drabu from her council of ministers with immediate effect, PDP sources said. The Governor, after examining the letter, wrote back to the chief minister conveying his nod to her request to drop the 57-year-old Drabu from her council of ministers, officials said. Since yesterday, pressure was mounting on Drabu, who played a key role in stitching an alliance with the BJP during Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's tenure earlier and again when Mehbooba Mufti became the chief minister, after newspapers published his remarks that people were "barking up the wrong tree" as the Kashmir issue was not a political issue. "It (JK) is not a political issue as far as I can see. They have been barking up the wrong tree for the last 50 or 70 years by talking about the politics of it; that the political situation has never improved. We seriously need to look at in terms of how it is a society that is in search for itself," Drabu had said at an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on Friday. Following the sudden development, the state cabinet meeting scheduled tomorrow was deferred by a week. "JK State Cabinet meeting which was scheduled to be held tomorrow at 12.30 pm has been postponed. It will be now be held on 20, March 2018 at 11 am," J&K's Department of Information and Public Relations tweeted. Drabu, a former Business Standard editor, was known to be close to late Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, father of Mehbooba Mufti. He plunged into politics in 2014 when he joined the PDP and successfully contested the Assembly elections from his home constituency Rajpora in south Kashmir`s Pulwama district. He was the chairman and CEO of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank from 2005 to 2010. He was the economic advisor to the state during the PDP-Congress coalition that came to power after the 2002 elections. Drabu began his economist career in 1990 when he was appointed with the Perspective Planning Division of the Planning Commission. He was also a consultant to the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister and finally with the 10th Finance Commission. He also served as a consultant to the Asian Development Bank. Drabu had earlier too been caught up in controversy when in March 2014 JKLF leader Yaseen Malik, a militant-turned-separatist politician, said the economist was an advisor to his group in the early 1990s when it started an insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. (With the inputs from Agencies)

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti sacks finance minister Haseeb Drabu over controversial remarks

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Decision to drop me came as a surprise, manner in which it was conveyed shocking, says Haseeb Drabu

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti sacks finance minister Haseeb Drabu over controversial remarks