Haseeb Drabu, former J&K finance minister, resigns from PDP

New Delhi: Former finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir and senior leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Haseeb Drabu resigned from primary membership of party on Thursday, ending his four-year-long political journey in the state.

Drabu, who was handpicked by former chief minister and PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to head the finance ministry, tweeted his resignation letter, which was sent to PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

“My legislative engagement has prematurely come to an end with the dissolution of the state assembly by the Governor. I don’t agree with the timing and manner in which it was done. It doesn’t credit either the democratic system or its custodian participants with any glory whatsoever. Be that as it may, the time has come for me to bid adieu,” Drabu said in his resignation letter publicised on his Twitter handle.

Drabu further said in his resignation that he had resigned from the cabinet, assembly and party nearly two years ago which Mehbooba Mufti did not accept. “I have disengaged myself from party affairs for quite sometime now. I didn’t precipitate the matter because i believe it is ethically and morally wrong to leave the party under whose aiges one has contested and won the seat in the legislative assembly. Now that that it is over, I am hereby resigning from the PDP,” Drabu said.

As an economist and Jammu and Kashmir finance minister, Drabu had contributed to indirect tax reforms when he was a member of the Goods and Services Tax Council. He was also instrumental in J&K amending its laws to join the GST regime, thus integrating the Himalayan state with the rest of the economy. Drabu had also pursued the idea of a universal basic income.

Gireesh Chandra Prasad contributed to the story