MIRPUR, May 16 (APP): Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq expressed his profound gratitude to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, for announcing a historic Rs. 23 billion package for the people of Azad Jammu Kashmir.
He was speaking in an Azad Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet meeting held in the state metropolis with Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif in the chair, according to a handout issued here Thursday evening.
In his opening remarks, highlighting the age-old bond between the people of Pakistan and Kashmir, he said that Kashmiris have been aspirants for a strong, stable, and prosperous Pakistan.
Kashmiris, he expressed, consider Pakistan their final destination. He said that this everlasting relationship will continue to grow stronger over time. Referring to different issues that have become a subject of hot debate, the AJK premier said, “These are the long-pending issues that did not arise in a day.” He said that apart from the Neelum Jhelum project agreement, there were other problems that included the issue of Mangala Dam affectees, the construction of Rathoa Hariyam Bridge, and water usage charges, which remain unaddressed.
He stated that the government was sincerely pursuing a policy of austerity. “Not a single vehicle has been purchased in a year,” he added.
He said that a social protection endowment fund has been established under which financial assistance would be provided to widows, orphans, the destitute, divorcees, and disabled persons.
Besides federal ministers Eng. Ameer Muqam, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Mohsin Naqvi, and Muhammad Attaullah Tarar, the cabinet meeting was attended by senior ministers Col. (retd) Waqar Ahmed Noor, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, Mian Abdul Waheed, Ahmed Raza Qadri, Abdul Majid Khan, Raja Muhammad Siddique, Dewan Ali Khan Chaghatai, Muhammad Akmal Sargala, Javed Butt, Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq, Sardar Mir Akbar, Nisar Ansar Abdali, Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Asim Sharif, Sardar Muhammad Hussain, Faheem Akhtar Rabbani, Javed Iqbal Badhanvi, and Sardar Javed Ayub. Chaudhry Akhlaq, Akbar Ibrahim, Ms. Imtiaz Naseem, Taqdees Gilani, Sardar Ahmed Sagheer, Pir Mazhar Saeed Shah, and others.