Development: AJK wants its due share in CPEC projects: AJK president

Masood Khan makes case for including region in the mega project

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Masood Khan Thursday made a case for including the region in the multibillion rupee China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) stating that the region was a natural part of the mega project and that AJK should get its due share in it.

“This region has great development potential, and being a natural part of the route, we intend to be a partner having due share in CPEC, “ Khan told a standing committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday night at a dinner he had hosted.

The committee, headed by its Chairman Malik Abrar, is on a three day visit of AJK.



Khan told the committee that AJK was passing through a serious financial crunch and it required assistance from the federal government. He was referring to the fact that the AJK government had last month exceeded its limit of borrowing from the state bank after it drew over Rs22 billion.

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was quite much keen to develop AJK and he was well aware of the energy projects being developed there.

The AJK president said by including the region in CPEC, its benefits would extend to the rest of the country.

He said the AJK government was anxiously pursuing some set goals including betterment of governance in the area but resources were very much needed to achieve this.

The chairman of the committee Malik Abrar assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir every support for their cause from the government and people of Pakistan.

Earlier in the week, Khan had said that the multibillion dollar CPEC would open vistas of unprecedented economic progress and prosperity for the region.

“Being the biggest industrial and business city [of the region], Mirpur will have to perform a significant role in the light of CPEC,” Khan said while addressing people in Mirpur.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2016.