Increasing interference: AJK to lodge protest with federal govt

Also expresses reservations over appointment of CEC.KHALID QAYYUM

LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led government in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has decided to lodge a protest against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led federal government against its increasing involvement and bans on recruitment and development projects.

According to sources, the AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed is convening a meeting of the cabinet next week in which he will take the ministers into confidence on the protest programme.

The AJK government holds Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Barjees Tahir responsible for the cessation of its harmony with the centre.  Sources said the federal government has postponed the implementation of Rs800m development package for the AJK. Implementation of Rs10.5b annual development programme has also been placed on the back burner.

The education policy given by the federal government five years back said the primary schools will be upgraded. However, even the first phase of this programme has not been implemented.

There will be elections for the AJK in July. Prime Mnister Nawaz Sharif had announced projects of billions of rupees during his visit in September.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2015.