MUZAFFARABAD: Treasury members in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly continued to praise their government on the second consecutive day on Tuesday for presenting a budget “par excellence” in addition to sharing their thoughts about betterment in different sectors.

The session, which lacked lustre in the absence of opposition, was presided over by deputy speaker Chaudhry Riaz Gujjar.

“I want to draw attention of the federal government, particularly Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his adviser Qamar Zaman Kaira that a prosperous Azad Kashmir will eventually strengthen Pakistan,” said minister for elementary and secondary education Deevan Ali Chughtai in his first speech of the day.

He vowed that the government would establish a ‘state of the art’ teachers training academy and added that funds would also be allocated for provision of free books to primary students.

Treasury members praise govt for presenting ‘good budget’

“Allah willing, after five years the state will provide not only books but also uniforms to students from nursery to intermediate level,” he claimed, adding, the government would also meet all basic needs of educational institutions, mainly toilets and labs.

Mr Chugtai, who is also minister for vocational and technical training authority, informed the house that the government had focused on skill development to open new windows of opportunity for the skilled youth at home and abroad.

He said while Rs20 million had been spared for the feasibility study of a ‘skilled university’, the government planned to open 50 vocational training institutes in different parts of the state.

Minister for works and communications Azhar Sadiq said the government had sanctioned Rs12 billion for construction of roads because it believed that good quality roads brought prosperity.

He informed the members that toll plazas would also be established at all major arteries to generate income for their upkeep.

Minister for civil defence and rehabilitation Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim said the government had spared a sizeable amount in the next budget for the establishment and development of residential colonies for the Pakistan based refugees.

He and his colleague Sardar Mir Akbar, minister for agriculture, said the opposition should have attended the session so as to give their inputs in improvement of budgetary proposals.

The house also approved a resolution moved by minister for higher education Zafar Iqbal whereby it condemned India’s illegal actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and called upon the UN and international community to play their role in addressing the festering Kashmir dispute.

The session was later prorogued to meet again on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2022