AJK govt asks people to pay electricity bills at previous tariff

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar Ul Haq said his government had stopped the implementation of a tariff hike in electricity and asked people to pay their bills at previous rates.

In an interview to a private TV channel, the AJK premier said that it was good to see that the mainstream media was now debating and discussing the issues being faced by the people of Azad Kashmir. The PM said that he had raised the issue of inflated electricity bills in a recently held meeting of the Senate standing committee on finance and asked the federal government to provide electricity at the rate at which it was being generated. ”Instead of the Power Purchasing Company, the federal government should provide electricity to us directly and then we will decide at what rate we have to give it to our citizens,” he said.

The PM said that in order to improve the electricity supply in the region there was an urgent need for restructuring of the electricity department. He said that line losses in AJK were around 28%.”Grid stations are yet to be built in Azad Kashmir, 100% billing target is yet to be achieved”, he said, adding that efforts were being made to reduce the losses as much as possible. Referring to the Constitution of Pakistan, the PM said that the people of areas in which electricity was produced have preference over the others in meeting their energy requirements. “All our problems will be solved once we are given an opportunity to deal with this issue directly”, the PM said. He said that thermal power producers had set up a large number of power plants which were producing highly expensive electricity as compared to hydel power.

Azad Kashmir, he said, offers a potential of 9,000 megawatts which needs to be exploited. In response to another question, he said that the cabinet had decided to provide relief to the masses amid soaring electricity bills. “My case is as simple as that I demand the right, which the Constitution guarantees “, he said. “The destiny of Kashmiri people was intertwined with that of the people of Pakistan”, he said, adding that Pakistan was the centre of hope for the Kashmiri people. “Pakistan is the centre of our hopes and dreams”, the PM said. “No power on the surface of the Earth can weaken our relationship with the state and the people of Pakistan,” he added.

Peaceful strikes, he said, were a part of a democratic society. He said that the Neelum Jhelum power projects in particular the divergence of the River Neelum has been the main cause of environmental issues being faced by the people in the region. He said that the problems pointed out by the business community should be solved. The PM said that he was working 18 to 20 hours a day. The problem of portfolios, he said, would also be solved soon. Replying to another query, the PM said that no good can be expected from those who believe in the Hindutva philosophy. In response to a question, he said that Syed Ali Geelani was a strong voice of Pakistan in IIOJ&K. “We need to follow his legacy and promote his ideology to take the ongoing freedom movement in Kashmir to its logical conclusion,” he said.