PM vows to strengthen AJK Council, pledges federal resources for Azad Kashmir’s development

ISLAMABAD, Oct 06 (APP):Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, in his capacity as Chairman of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council, on Tuesday administered the oath to four newly elected members of the Council and assured the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir that the federal government would mobilise all available resources for the region’s progress and prosperity.

The newly elected members are Ch Latif Akbar, Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas, Ch Muhammad Saeed and Ch Manzoor Ahmed. They were elected by the AJK Legislative Assembly under Article 21(4) of the AJK Interim Constitution, 1974. In line with the Constitution, they took the oath before the Council’s chairman before assuming office.

Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister congratulated the newly sworn-in members and expressed the hope that they would play their role in the Council to the best of their abilities and in the larger interest of Azad Kashmir.

“The Council serves as a bridge between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan,” he said, adding that as its head he considered it an honour to work with the members to strengthen that bridge. He said all of them should work day and night for the development and prosperity of AJK, so that the mandate given by the people in the recent elections could be honoured sincerely.

PM Shehbaz Sharif urged the AJK president and prime minister to make full use of their constitutional roles for the development of the region and to resolve public issues through consultation and mutual cooperation.

The prime minister assured the AJK leadership that the federal government would provide all necessary resources to give further impetus to development work. He said educational institutions, healthcare facilities and other basic amenities would be taken to people’s doorsteps in collaboration with the AJK government.

Referring to unfortunate incidents in AJK in recent months, the prime minister expressed regret and said sincere efforts had been made to persuade the concerned groups through dialogue. He recalled that an all parties conference had been held in Muzaffarabad, where it was agreed that, after fresh elections, any law or decision made by the elected Assembly, whether by consensus or majority, would be respected by all.

He said that this advice was not accepted and that the law therefore took its own course, as the state had a political and legal responsibility to act against vandalism and against elements. He said they were acting on external instigation against Pakistan and the Kashmiri people. He noted that elections had since been held and the Assembly had come into being.

The prime minister also paid tribute to the armed forces under Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their role in last year’s Marka-e-Haq, saying they had taught the enemy a lesson it would remember forever. He once again congratulated the armed forces and the people on the achievement.

Concluding his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that under the leadership of PML-N Quaid, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the government would work to bring development and prosperity to Azad Kashmir that its people would remember in the years ahead.

He ended with the slogans “Azad Kashmir Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad.”

AJK President Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan, AJK Prime Minister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam, the AJK Assembly Speaker and members of the Council attended the ceremony.