No plan to roll back financial, administrative powers of AJK govt: Kaira

MIRPUR (AJK): Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Wednesday that there was no plan whatsoever to roll back the financial and administrative authority of the government of Azad Kashmir through fifteenth constitutional amendment.

Talking to media in the State metropolis, Qamar-ul-Zaman Kaira said, “In presence of PPP, it is impossible to pass any such law that seeks to deprive people of their rights”.

“We are the givers but not the ones who take back authority”, he said. He said, powers to the provinces, act 74, ministerial system of government and rights were given to Azad Kashmir by the PPP. “We cannot even think of making such a law that snatches rights from the people,” he added.

He, however, maintained that a sub-committee has been established to submit a draft report regarding the proposed amendments on which consultations would be held with the political leadership of Azad Kashmir. “And then the matter will go through proper legislation process in Azad Kashmir’s own legislative assembly”, Kaira said.

“Kashmir has a special status which will be taken into consideration. Qamar-ul-Zaman Kaira said. Regarding the Kashmir Council, he said that the council has no funds, the employees of the council were getting salaries from the federal budget until now. Referring to the Kashmir issue, he said that the government’s first and foremost priority was to the issue of Kashmir at the international level.

He said that besides sensitizing the global community, awareness sessions would be organized at the university level to familiarize the new generation about the Kashmir issue.

Reiterating the PPP’s commitment with the Kashmir cause, he said that the PPP was founded on the Kashmir issue.

He said that concerted efforts were needed to sensitize the world about the early and amicable solution of the Kashmir dispute.

Voicing his concern over the flood situation in the country, he said that like other parts of the country incessant rains have wreaked havoc in Azad Kashmir. “10 lakh rupees per person being given to the deceased and four lakh rupees to the injured”, he said.

On this occasion the leader of the opposition Chaudhry Latif Akbar, members of the assembly Sardar Javed Ayub, Syed Bazal Ali Naqvi were present.