SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday departed from its long-standing practice by taking up government business immediately after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather read obituary references for three former legislators.
The Speaker paid tribute to former Members of the Legislative Assembly Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Dharam Paul and Ghulam Hassan Khan at the opening of the autumn session. The House subsequently proceeded with the listed business instead of being adjourned for the day, as had traditionally been the practice.
During the obituary references, Rather read out the names and tributes to the deceased lawmakers, while no other member participated by delivering individual remarks. Members later observed a two-minute silence in their memory.
Under the earlier practice, members from different political parties would participate in obituary proceedings and the House would generally be adjourned for the day after paying homage to former legislators.
The change follows a suggestion made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the previous autumn session that the Assembly adopt the parliamentary procedure under which the Speaker alone reads obituary references, followed by a brief silence.
“When I was in Parliament, the obituary references used to involve long speeches after the Speaker’s reading, taking up an entire day,” Omar had said.
“Later, it was decided that the Speaker alone would read the references, and members would stand in silence for a minute. I think we should follow that system here too,” he had said.
The Business Advisory Committee subsequently agreed to adopt the parliamentary-style procedure for obituary references, according to reporting on an earlier Assembly sitting.
The Assembly Secretariat had already earmarked September 21 for both obituary references and government business in the provisional calendar for the current autumn session, marking a departure from the previous practice of adjourning the House after obituary references.
The revised procedure allowed the House to move to its scheduled legislative business on the opening day after paying respects to the former lawmakers.
The article first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse at https://kashmirpulse.com/politics/jk-assembly-breaks-tradition-takes-up-business-after-obituary-references/116436.html
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