Guv now calls JK Bank ‘wonderful institution’

Srinagar, Oct 31: After claiming “illegal recruitment” in JK Bank, Governor, Satya Pal Malik, on Wednesday called it a “wonderful institution”.

“It is JK Bank people who told me about the illegal recruitment. It is not necessary it is a fact. The JK Bank is doing a great job and is a wonderful institution,” the Governor told the reporters.

“I repeated what the youth who had come to meet told me.”

Malik claimed he did not level any allegations against the JK Bank.

Few days before, Malik in an interview had said that a group of 40 candidates met him and told him that they had been dropped from the selection list despite qualifying the exams as well as interview for the recruitment in JK Bank.

“I called chairman of the bank, I told him I don’t want loans for anyone, I don’t want settlement of loans, I want jobs for these youth who have qualified the exams. The chairman told me that these were not just 30, but 582 cases where qualified youth were not given jobs,” Malik said in the interview.

The revelations made by the Governor took people by surprise who sought investigations.

Over accusations by political parties that Governor was “defaming” Kashmiris, Malik said, “Talking about corruption does not mean of defaming corruption. Corruption has to be stopped. I have gauged the issues in the last two months that the state is facing by meeting all stakeholders including the youth. The anti-corruption bureau also caught one person. There is poverty and also richer people in the valley.”

The PDP and NC had claimed Governor was “defaming institutions, and Kashmiris” without verifying the facts.

The Governor said that militants must realize their efforts will “achieve nothing”.

“It is unfortunate that we lost security personnel but our police force work bravely. We want to end the terrorism here. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was stronger than you (militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir). They got nothing, and you will also get nothing by violence,” he said in referring to militants. “The radicalization will lead nothing. All the issues could be settled only through dialogue.”

He claimed that Pakistan will not “succeed” in its designs.

“Pakistan has frustration and runs the country by selling the cars,” he said.

In the upcoming panchayat elections, he said that polling percentage would increase.

The Governor also said that action would be taken against officials if they are involved in any harassment to cricketers.