The government’s hunt for a new chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is yet to see fruition. So when Mohammed Shafi Qureshi completed his three-year tenure as commission chairman on Wednesday, there was no successor to whom he could hand over charge.
While some names are doing the rounds for appointment to this prestigious post, no one is willing to wager yet on who will eventually grab the job. With the chairperson being a political appointee and the government yet to hone down on a successor, jockeying for the post continues. Whether it will be a known face or a dark horse who pips others to the chairman’s post remains to be seen.
Mr Qureshi had been appointed to the post after his predecessor, Mohammed Hamid Ansari, was elected the country’s vice-president. Belonging to Kashmir, Mr Qureshi had been a central minister and a former governor before his appointment as NCM chairman.
Having steered the NCM for three years, Mr Qureshi lamented that the Bill which will confer a constitutional status on the Commission is still pending. The Bill which gives the NCM more teeth has been pending since 2004. “If the Bill was passed, the Commission will be able to do much better than what it is doing at present,” remarked Mr Qureshi.
He further said that this proposed legislation will also make the Commission “more effective and result-oriented”.