The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday sacked Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu after he triggered a controversy by claiming that the dispute in the state is “not a political issue”, Greater Kashmir reported. The ruling Peoples Democratic Party has informed Governor NN Vohra about the decision.

Drabu had made the comment at an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on March 9. “It is not a political issue as far as I can see,” The Indian Express quoted the PDP leader as saying. “They have been barking up the wrong tree for the last 50 or 70 years by talking about the politics of it, that the political situation has never improved. We seriously need to look at [it] in terms of how it is a society that is in search for itself.”

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The PDP’s chief spokesperson Rafi Ahmad Mir had earlier warned of action against Drabu if he did not retract his statement. Education Minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhar and Sports Minister Imran Raza Ansari, who had attended the event, later distanced themselves from Drabu’s comments.

“The party recognises Jammu and Kashmir as a political issue, and ever since its emergence, the party has relentlessly been pursuing its resolution through reconciliation and dialogue, both at internal and external levels,” PDP Vice President Sartaj Madni said.

Opposition leaders from the National Conference also criticised Drabu’s comments and asked the ruling party to explain his statements, Rising Kashmir reported. “If Kashmir is not a political problem, then why is interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma here and why [have] India and Pakistan fought four wars since 1947,” senior NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar said. He also asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti: “What message are you trying to convey when the situation is so tense in the Valley?”

The Opposition leader said there could be no progress till the Kashmir conflict is resolved. He claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party was using Drabu as a weapon. “These ministers, including Haseeb Drabu, are well read and know what they are talking about,” Sagar said.