NC’s Mubarak Gul takes oath as pro tem speaker of J&K assembly

Six-time National Conference (NC) MLA Mubarak Gul took oath as the pro tem speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir (K&K) legislative assembly at a ceremony held in Raj Bhawan on Saturday
Gul was administered the oath of office by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha in the presence of J&K chief minister (CM) Omar Abdullah and his five council of ministers.
Gul, who won the Eidgah assembly seat in Srinagar for the sixth time in the recent assembly polls, was appointed the pro tem speaker on Friday.
He will administer the oath to the newly elected members of the assembly on Monday at 2 pm.
Gul served as speaker of the assembly of the erstwhile state of J&K from 2013 to 2015. He was an advisor to Abdullah during his first term as chief minister. Talking to reporters, Gul said the NC hasn’t changed its stance on any issue and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant statehood to the J&K.
“PM Modi is a well-travelled person. He must show magnanimity by giving J&K statehood back without us going to court. I hope the statehood will be given to us,” he added.