SRINAGAR, 14 February 2008 — Congress President Sonia Gandhi yesterday appointed Union Water Resources Minister Professor Saifuddin Soz as head of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress party unit.
Soz, however, will continue to discharge his duties as the union minister.
The announcement was made after a meeting of the Congress high command in New Delhi chaired by Sonia.
Soz replaces Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, who had to step down last month after allegations of corruption against him.
Soz joined the Congress party in 2000 after he left the National Conference (NC) for voting against the then central government headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee.
He joined the union Cabinet as the water resources minister in 2005, and had since been overseeing party interests in the state.
The decision to appoint Soz was finalized at a meeting Sonia had with Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in which he supported Soz’s nomination as the Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief. Azad has welcomed Soz’s appointment.
