JAMMU: There is no official record to National Conference founder Sheikh Abdullah being conferred with the title of ‘Sher-e-Kashmir’ (Lion of Kashmir), a right to information (RTI) plea has revealed.
In reply to the three-point RTI application filed by Jammu-based activist Deepak Sharma, the General Administration department of the state government has said that it has no record available regarding the ‘Sher-e-Kashmir’ title given to any one in J&K.
Sharma had filed the RTI with the Public Information Officer (PIO) of governor’s secretariat in October 2015, seeking information regarding the title ‘Sher–e-Kashmir’ if conferred upon by the government to any person in the state and any official communication issued ever in this regard.
The PIO transferred the RTI application to the General Administration Department on October 12, 2015.
Replying to the application on October 20, 2015, Imteeaz Khan, Under-Secretary to the state government, informed the RTI applicant that “there is no information available on the records of the General Administration Department regarding the query”.
“On one side there are several institutes and establishments in the state with name ‘Sher-e-Kashmir’ and on the other side government has no record regarding who ‘Sher-e-Kashmir is?” Sharma said adding, “More surprising is that even in some government establishments, the name of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah is attached with the title of ‘Sher-e-Kashmir’.”