AJK PM meets journalists, terms budget people-friendly

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq has said that it was for the first time in the history of Azad Kashmir that the government presented a tax-free and people-friendly budget.

Talking to the Central Press Club team led by its President Wahid Iqbal Butt here Saturday, the PM said that effective measures were being taken regarding the welfare of the masses and the development of the liberated territory.

He said that an additional budget of Rs70b would further speed up the process of development and improve governance in the region. Haq said that the government was keen to resolve the problems being faced by the people on a priority basis.

Regarding access to information, he said that everyone has the right to seek information held by the government or public bodies. “If the media wants any sort of information from any department of the state, the heads of the departments are bound to ensure the process of access to the information”, he said.

The Prime Minister assured the visiting journalists of resolving all their problems. Senior journalists Sardar Zulfiqar Ahmed, Abdul Hakeem Kashmiri, Senior Vice President CPC Ghulam Raza Kazmi, Vice President Raja Ejaz Ahmed, Secretary General Basharat Mughal and Information Secretary Sardar Adnan were part of the delegation.