Masood Khan visits LOC, inaugurates girls high school in Abbaspur

MUZAFFARABAD: Former president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Sardar Masood Khan on Tuesday paid a visit to the Line of Control (LOC) and surrounding areas, where he inaugurated key educational and community development projects, paid tribute to national heroes, and engaged with the local leadership and civil society.

He paid rich tribute to the soldiers for their courage and resilience, saying: “The nation salutes them for their heroic defence of our motherland”. He also offered prayers for the Shuhada (martyrs) —both civilians and armed forces personnel—who laid down their lives in the service of Pakistan.

The former AJK president performed the groundbreaking of Masjid Ali Murtaza in Bagh, inaugurated Girls High School in Abbaspur, and visited Bagh Grammar School. These philanthropic initiatives were generously funded and managed by Mahmood-ul-Haq, AJK’s leading Pakistani-American entrepreneur and corporate leader.

The school has been comprehensively refurbished and now includes a newly constructed academic block for students and faculty, setting a benchmark for girls’ education in the region.Earlier in the day, he visited the Ashraf and Munira Hospital at Potha which was inaugurated by him on July 1, 2019, which was also established by Mahmood-ul-Haq.

He also visited the Army Gun Post at Trothi, where he offered prayers for the Shuhada of Pakistan Army and Abbaspur, honouring their sacrifices and valour. The former AJK president also visited state-of-the-art Bagh Grammar School, an institution providing American-standard education to over 1,050 students, and the MTBC facility, a leading technology firm employing over 3,300 young graduates, primarily from Poonch and neighbouring districts.

A special tribute was paid to Mahmood-ul-Haq, one of the top Pakistani entrepreneurs in the United States, for his unwavering dedication to Pakistan and AJK.Masood Khan’s visit was coordinated by Syed Asif Hussain Shah, former additional chief secretary and former secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan.