THOUSANDS OF people belonging to various areas of Doda, Balassa, Chiralla, Pranoo and Bhalla thronged the Bhaderwah town to welcome Commissioner Secretary Sheikh Mahboob Iqbal who retired from his services yesterday. People started pouring in to attend the welcome party organised by Bhaderwah Citizen Council and as Iqbal’s cavalcade reached the Doda pull (bridge) people stopped it and showered it with rose petals.

People took Iqbal in the shape of a procession with more than five hundreds vehicles rally and it take the 4 hours to reach Bhaderwah from pull-Doda which is the journey of only half an hour as on all way from pull Doda to Bhaderwah, people were seen standing to great Iqbal on his retirement as Commissioner Secretary. Iqbal addressed people at more than 50 places en-route.

And when rally reached Bhaderwah, the whole town witnessed the roar of Mahboob Iqbal zindabad slogans. As thousands people including 75 Sarpanches of Bhaderwah constituency were waiting from early morning at new bus stand Bhaderwah.

At the function venue the people gave heart thrilling welcome to their beloved leader by garlanding him. While addressing the gathering, a retired  Professor Kamishwar told that I have seen such grand warm welcome only three times in his life; first when late sheikh Mohammad Abdullah the founder of National conference visited Bhaderwah and second time when late prime minister Indira

  visited Bhaderwah and today I witnessed the same.

Meanwhile Iqbal do not make it clear whether he will join any political platform or not, but he assured the people that he will continue serving them as he had done during his services at all ranks.“ My doors are open for all. Without any distinction my aim was and is to serve the needy people of this hilly Chinab region, “he said.