Address to Bar: AJK govt mulls adding judges to high court

Premier Haider promises medical facilities for lawyers; assures recovery of encroached land of lawyers’ colony

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Farooq Haider on Monday said the state’s government would increase the number of judges in the AJK High Court.

Addressing the Central Bar Association in Muzaffarabad, Haider lauded the role of the judiciary and said it always made decisions on merit in difficult times.

Speaking at a ceremony held in his honour, the AJK PM acknowledged the role of lawyers in restoration of democracy in the country.

He announced medical facilities for equal to that of gazetted officers. He also promised to help recover land of lawyers’ colony which had been encroached. A grant of one million rupees for the Central Bar was also announced.

Central Bar Association President Raja Aftab Ahmed brought issues of the lawyers into the premier’s notice.

Haider said that eliminating corruption was a big challenge for his government, but he was determined to fight it. He said the previous government failed to deliver because of bad governance and institutionalised corruption.

“PML-N has a clear road map of tackling corruption and establishing good governance for which people of AJK gave us huge mandate in the elections,” he said.

Haider said the government had enough funds to exploit the tourism and hydroelectric potential of the state to create jobs for the local youth. Work on tourism corridor was set to start from Chakar to Benjosa Lake soon, he added.

IoK situation

Haider condemned the massive human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) by the Indian army. He praised the lawyers’ community in IoK for their efforts to highlight these abuses.

Talking about the National Kashmir Conference, Haider said that the moot would soon be held in Muzaffarabad to highlight the Indian abuses across the Line of Control (LoC).

Separately, while talking to a delegation of Lahore High Court Bar Association led by Rana Zia Abdul Rehman, Haider condemned the massive human rights violations in IoK and reaffirmed the commitment of the AJK government to utilise its full resources for the liberation of Kashmir.

The AJK prime minister also lauded the services of lawyers for the stability of democratic system and supremacy of constitution in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2016.