AJK PM reaffirms holding free, fair polls in Azad Kashmir

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan has reaffirmed to hold free, peaceful and transparent elections in Azad Kashmir.

Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, he said, “We are united and will contest next general elections in view of the tremendous performance and developmental work completed for the socio-economic uplift of the people of Azad Kashmir.”

He said the present government after coming into power had launched a comprehensive developmental strategy for the socio-economic uplift of the people of AJK and added that the government had increased the revenue of the state, maintained the financial discipline and overcome the financial deficit and also paid back the loans of the previous government.

Giving details of the developmental projects, completed by the present government, he said the government had allocated 49 billion and 25 crore rupees for the completion of 142 projects for Mirpur under Annual Development Programme. He said 21 projects were completed in Kotli district costing over Rs21 billion. While Rs740 million have been provided for the provision of gas to the remaining areas of Mirpur.

He said Rs500 million had also been provided for the greater water supply scheme project to provide clean drinking water to the people of Mirpur and Dadyal. He urged the people of Mirpur to construct the buildings in accordance with the building code.

He said Indian forces’ firings had badly damaged the infrastructure of the civilian living close to the Line of Control and now the government had finalised the rehabilitation programme of eleven constituencies, involving an expenditure of Rs3 billion.