SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday took a strong exception to procedure and criteria adopted for appointment of people to the top posts in J&K Bank. He said there seems to be a sinister design to dilute J&K Bank’s functional autonomy. In a statement issued here, Bukhari described a recent order by virtue of which a non-domicile of J&K has been appointed to the post of Chief Financial Officer of the J&K Bank, an unprecedented move aimed at playing with the economic aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I am told that the government at helm in J&K has clandestinely amended the recruitment rules after August 5, 2019 and has created a window for the appointment of non residents of J&K especially to the top posts of J&K Bank. This is totally unacceptable because any such recruitment is illegal and in violation of Domicile law for J&K,” Bukhari said and demanded immediate revocation of the order issued on April 23, 2020 by virtue of which a non domicile of J&K has been appointed to a top post of the Bank. The JKAP president remarked that there seems to be a pattern to appoint and promote people to the top posts while discarding the requirements of Domicile Law for such appointments in the J&K Bank. “I call upon the union home minister to intervene into the matter and take cognizance of how the post of CFO was advertized and later filled up throwing the Domicile Law to winds,” Bukhari pleaded. He averred that it has happened for the first time that ‘officiating’ executive presidents in J&K Bank have been designated and that too without informing or seeking consent from the RBI.

KR Desk