Jammu-Poonch Highway blocked at various points

Protest in Poonch, Rajouri over non inclusion of Ch Aslam in Cabinet

Over thousands of people on Sunday blocked Jammu-Poonch highway at various points at Surankote, Poonch and Mehander areas of Poonch and Rajouri Districts of Jammu region , in protest against non inclusion of veteran Gujjar leader and Former State Congress President Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam in the council of Minister, in recent expansion held at SKICC yesterday . Ch Mohammad Aslam is six time legislature representing Surankote Constituency.

The people including women protesting against the party decision, came out of their houses early in the morning and staged demonstrations at the Surankote Chowk connecting Rajouri-Poonch highway.Later a protest demonstration was held at Poonch. The Mehnder Twon was also “Bandh” and people protested against Pardesh Congress Committee. Various organsitions and local NGOS also given call for Poonch Rajouri Bandh on Monday. The protesters at variouse places brunt the effigies of State Congress President Saif ud Din Soz and Congress leader Parthivi Raj Chouhan. During the day long protests, the vehicular moment in the various areas of Poonch - Rajouri and the passengers Buses on way to Jammu had to wait till 3:30 pm as no traffic was allowed to pass the Surankote, Mehnder crossing by the people.

Bone of contention which led the representatives of Beopar Mandal of Surankote, Mehnder and Poonch who also led the protest to block the Highway was ignoring of Senior most Congress leader of the State Ch Mohammad Aslam in cabinet expansion.

“They ignored our area in each and every spare of life but the recent ignorance of our leader Ch.Aslam in induction is highly condemnable”, said veteran leader of Poonch , K.D Sharma who is also a senior Function of All District Beopar Mandel Poonch,.

Addressing the protester in Surankote local leader and lawyer Ch Mohammad Hussain Saleem demanded resignation of Saif-ud Din Soz, the President of Pardesh Congress Committee and Pathivi Raj Chouhan Incharge J&K. He said that Ch. Aslam is most deserving candidate of the region and qualify to be inducted into the council of Ministers.

Ch. Bashir Poswal, Ch.Mohammad Amin Qammar, Rashid Kalas addresses protester at Surankote and urged UPA President Sonia Gandhi to induct Ch Aslam into the Councils of Minister.

Taking extreme view of neglect at the hands of the senior congress leaders and party high command Ch Mohd Aslam on Saturday resigned from the post of leader of the congress legislature party in the state assembly. The senior congress leader who was first made pro term speaker was earlier left out at the time of government formation in January and again on Saturday when his name did not figure in the final list of congress men inducted in the Omar Abdullahs council of ministers he chose to resign from the post of CLP leader. Addressing a press conference Senior functionary of District Congress Committee Poonch Ch Zaffar –ullah, Mir Taj, Ashiq Mir, Gulzar Jat and Mohammad Iqbal appealed to the party high command to take note of the working of the Pradesh congress committee where leader of the congress legislature party was left out and not consulted even once before finalizing the list of congress nominees. They demanded immediate inclusion of their leader Ch Aslam in to the council of Ministers. The senior congress leaders said the backward area of Poonch and Rajouri has been ignored .They said expectations were running high among people of the border district but they were not fulfilled by the congress party leaders at the helm.