Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, took oath as a Cabinet minister at a ceremony held at Raj Bhawan here on Thursday morning.
A three-time MLA and former minister Javaid Mustafa Mir was also re-inducted as a Cabinet minister along with Tassaduq. In a simple and brief swearing-in ceremony, Governor NN Vohra administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly inducted ministers on the Raj Bhawan lawns this morning. Javaid followed by Tassaduq took oath in English.
Tassaduq has been given the tourism portfolio while Javaid has been given disaster management, relief rehabilitation, and reconstruction and floriculture.
With the joining of Tassaduq and Javaid, the number of ministers in the PDP-BJP coalition government goes up to 25 — the maximum permissible limit in the Council of Ministers. The BJP has 11 members in the ministry.
Besides legislators, political leaders and prominent citizens of the state, the ceremony was attended by First Lady Usha Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta, Legislative Council Chairman Haji Anayat Ali, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, ministers, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various boards and commissions. The Chief Secretary, DGP, and senior civil and police officers were also present.
Members of Mufti and Javaid Mir’s families were also present during the swearing-in ceremony. On December 22, the Governor had nominated Tassaduq as a Member of Legislative Council (MLC). He was nominated after a seat was vacated by Vikramaditya Singh, who had resigned in protest against the state government for not declaring holiday on last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary.
Tassaduq, 45, had resigned as head of the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell on December 15. Tassaduq was also the candidate for the Anantnag Lok Sabha byelection, scheduled on April 12, 2017, which was deferred indefinitely after violence in Srinagar on the polling day.
A cinematographer by profession, Tassaduq holds a masters degree in fine arts from the American Center. He had joined politics after demise of his father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in January 2016.
Javaid, who represents the Chadoora constituency, was re-inducted into the Council of Ministers. He had earlier served as Revenue Minister in the ministry of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. However, he was dropped by Mehbooba after taking over as Chief Minister on April 4, 2016.
Asserting that the situation in Kashmir is limping back to normalcy, PDP leader Tassaduq Mufti on Thursday said he will try to fulfil the dreams of his father late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
“I will try to fulfil the dreams of my father,” Tassaduq told reporters here after taking oath as a minister in sister and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s government.
Tassaduq said, “Only time will tell about my contribution in restoring peace in the state.”
He, however, said his actions would speak in the days to come and added that the youth of Kashmir were not “directionless.”
Meanwhile, PWD minister and spokesman of the coalition government Naeem Akthar today hoped that professional approach of Tassaduq would help the government. He said the coalition would be benefitted from his experience. Naeem said all departments of the government were working efficiently.
