Srinagar, February 02 (KNO) : Former Employees Association leader, Abdul Qayoom Wani on Saturday formally joined Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in presence of party president and former chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu. “Qayoom Wani will contest upcoming Parliament elections as PDP candidate from north Kashmir,” Mehbooba Mufti said while welcoming him in party fold.
According to KNO correspondent, Wani on his joining said that he was convinced on PDP's vision who has 'political credibility'. "After all the calculation, I am satisfied that I should give strength to PDP. The party has lots of contribution including trying to connect people of both sides of LOC and saved people from SOG," Wani said.
Wani resigned from services to join political fray and also resigned from the basic membership of Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum (JKTF), Teachers Joint Action Committee (TJAC) and Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC).
Soon after Wani joined PDP formally, an old fight between Wani and Shah Faisal, bureaucrat-turned-politician, turned to life again as the record maker IAS topper took to social networking site, calling Wani's resignation from services as 'freedom' moment of Education department.
Faesal, who has also served as Director Education Kashmir, in a Facebook post said, "Education Department gets freedom today. Congrats to Teacher community and the school children who had been held hostage all these years. With masks down, Inshallah, Education will flourish now in the valley of Kashmir.” The tussle between the two erupted when Faisal was the Director Education and Wani was EJAC's leader.
Mincing no words, Wani retorted back to Faisal's comments, calling him a 'chocolate boy'. “He can talk anything rubbish. I have been telling again and again that he is a whimsical person,” he said, adding he is a chocolate boy and a childish person. The old fight between the two had erupted and took an ugly turn when Faisal as Director Education Kashmir has initiated action against some officials of the department leading to a tussle.
A video later surfaced in which Wani had used unparliamentarily language against Faisal. "You (Shah Faisal) are a chocolate boy’… ‘Mayn aek jagirdar baap ka beta houn. Aap ka bap jagirdar naheen tha.’ (I am the son of a feudal lord, not you)‘ App nay sheer kay mounh mayn hath dalla’ ( You dared a devouring lion)," Wani was heard saying in that video.
Interestingly, both Wani and Faisal are eying to garner votes from north Kashmir. While Faisal in his maiden presser had hinted that he wishes to fight elections and is eying on parliamentary polls from north Kashmir, Wani on the other hand has been officially declared as the PDP’s candidate for the polls.(KNO)