AJK PM says CPEC to bring economic revolution

ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan said on Tuesday the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was not just a road or development project but a strategic alliance.

This he observed while speaking as a chief guest on the launching ceremony of report titled: CPEC in Azad Kashmir; produced by Center for Peace, Development under the auspicious of Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad here. The prime minister added that AJK’s inclusion in the CPEC would bring economic revolution in the state. “China is Pakistan’s sincere and time tested friend that always came forward and supported us at every stage,” he maintained. He said education and infrastructure were basic elements, which significantly contributed for the sustainable development. “We reformed both these sectors and aiming to turn state into a tourist center for all four seasons,” he contended. Raja Farooq Haider said that Kalabagh Dam could not be built up till today. However, contrary to it, Neelum Jehlum and Mangla upraising projects were completed without any use of force. “Work on Kohalla Project would also start soon,” Haider informed the audience.

“It is my responsibility to help strong the ideological bond between the people of Kashmir and Pakistan. Kashmiris would prefer to die but will never cheat Pakistan. Love for Pakistan is part of our faith,” he emphasised.

Referring to the Kashmir issue, the prime minister said that Kashmir was not the territorial dispute between India and Pakistan but a matter of the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people. He emphasized, “those who are burying their loved ones in Pakistani flag in Kashmir are looking toward Pakistan. We need to take practical steps on the longstanding dispute”. Inviting the attention of the audience towards the development and reform agenda of the present government, the prime minister said that basic infrastructure of the state had been upgraded. He said an effective financial discipline has been maintained which resulted into the surplus administrative budget. He paid profound gratitude to former Prime Ministers Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for the financial and administrative autonomy of the state. The prime minister also discussed the reforms being carried out by the present AJK PML-N government. Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Dr. Syed Asif Hussain Shah briefed the participants about the progress on CPEC projects in Azad Kashmir. Ambassador Khalid Mehmood, Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary, Zulifqar Abbasi, Talat Shabbir and others also addressed the ceremony.