NEW DELHI: In an attempt to make peace with the Hurriyat and months after the Jammu and Kashmir government approved the salary hike of five lakh state government employees and pensioners, it on Thursday approved pension of Ex-MLA Ghulam Nabi Sumji on an application filed in the year 2015.

The government issued orders to release arrears to former MLA of BIjbehara Sumji, who had resigned from the Assembly to join Hurriyat. Sumji had resigned in 1989 to join Hurriyat.

Sumji was an MLA of Muslim United Front (MUF) from 1987-89 and had represented Bijbihara in Anantnag. He resigned in the year 1989 when the armed insurgency in the state began and joined Hurriyat to represent Muslim Conference.

In 2015, the Hurriyat leader had applied for the MLA Pension, enhancement of pension and release of all arrears saying that he had not claimed any pension.

“Sir, with due respect I beg to submit that pension of ex-MLAs has been revised and the arrear dues have been released by the Act. It is therefore prayed that my increased pension along with arrear dues be released in my favour. The photocopies are attached”, Sumbji wrote in the application,” Sumji wrote in the application.

The development has come two months after the state government implemented the 7th Pay Commission recommendations with effect from January 2016.

With the implementation, more than 20 per cent hike in the salary of the employees for the month of April was approved, state Finance Minister Syed Altaf Ahmed Bukhari briefed the reporters after the state cabinet meeting.