MUZAFFARABAD: The combined opposition in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Friday announced its resignation from all house committees in protest against the alleged contemptuous remarks of Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider about them on the floor of the house.

The house was convened by the government to mark “right to self determination day” in commemoration of the UN Security Council resolution of Jan 5, 1949 that envisages two options for the Kashmiris - accede either to Pakistan or to India.

As the proceedings began, opposition lawmaker Abdul Majid Khan from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf raised a point of order that the opposition members were not given 7-day notice of the session, in accordance with the rules, which could eventually have enabled them to table their resolutions about importance of right to self-determination of Kashmiri people.

The PTI lawmaker also reminded the house that an official ministerial team, comprising senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, finance and health minister Dr Najeeb Naqi and education minister Iftikhar Gillani had given some assurances to the opposition members regarding development funds, etc., but those were not being implemented in what amounted to breach of their privilege.

Echoing his views, leader of the opposition Chaudhry Yasin and former prime ministers Chaudhry Abdul Majeed and Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan claimed that the three-member committee had assured that development schemes worth Rs40 million from the PM’s community infrastructure programme and 10-km-long roads would also be sanctioned for their constituencies (in the AJK territory) on their recommendation like that the PML-N legislators.

However, lately they had learnt that prime minister was opposed to this proposal and instead wanted only Rs10 million worth schemes and 5km long roads on the recommendation of the opposition legislators and the remaining Rs30 million worth schemes and 5-km long roads on the recommendation of the defeated PML-N nominees in their constituencies, they added.

Law minister Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan maintained that since he was not part of the committee he was not in a position to offer any comment. The prime minister himself will make a statement on it, he said.

The opposition lawmakers said since Mr Gillani – one of the three committee members – was present in the house he should be asked to verify their assertions, but there was no response to their demand from the treasury benches.

On this, the opposition members said until the prime minister arrived in the house and renewed the assurance by the committee on the floor, they would boycott the proceedings.

After this, all eight opposition members staged a walkout and retired into their chamber.

After arriving in the house, Prime Minister Haider took the opposition to task for staging walkout on “petty issues,” notwithstanding the significance of the session.

The opposition members who heard his speech in their chamber termed his attitude towards them as “contemptuous and insulting”.

In a statement issued to media, it maintained that the government had not done any consultation with the opposition and “worst than that was the derogatory attitude of the premier on such an important day”.

The statement also carried some other allegations against the government, such as vindictive actions and other decisions “mocking its claims about good governance”.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2018