Mir flays govt for sacking employees

Srinagar, October 22

President of Democratic Party Nationalist (and former minister Ghulam Hassam Mir has criticised the ruling PDP-BJP alliance for terminating the services of several government employees.

In a statement here today, Mir said it was incumbent upon the government to follow the rule of law and due procedure while taking action against the government employees. “A government servant cannot be sacked at the whim of the ruling elite and any action has to be in conformity with the standard rules and regulations”, Mir said. He termed the termination as a harsh and hasty decision.

Saying a democratic government could not act in an autocratic way and take arbitrary actions against its citizens, Mir said the provisions under which the government employees were terminated were applied under extraordinary circumstances. “It does not suit a democratically elected government to resort to such a provision,” he said.

“Termination is the last resort and the government should have exercised other options under law, if at all these employees were involved in any case,” Mir opined. He appealed to the government to review its decision and ensure that rule of law is followed before taking any such action. — TNS