MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Barrister Iftikhar Gillani has assured the business community and students that his government would restore internet services at educational institutions and remove restrictions on road links with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within the next few days.

Speaking during his visit to the Central Press Club on Saturday, Mr Gillani said the government was also working on a policy to address the losses suffered by the business community, particularly in Mirpur, due to the internet shutdown and recent protests. “We will try to restore business activity and help recover the losses,” he said.

PM Gillani, who was accompanied by fellow legislators Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain and Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi, expressed concern over the situation in Rawalakot, saying his government would make every effort to bring it under control. He said the educational loss being suffered by children was the government’s foremost concern, as teaching activities had been disrupted in educational institutions. “I will make every effort to have internet services restored in educational institutions within the next few days,” he said.

He also assured the public that restrictions on routes connecting AJK with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be removed within a day or two. “I assure you that these closures will no longer be visible anywhere in the next one or two days. There will be no restrictions or hindrances of any kind on movement,” he declared.

The prime minister said his government wanted to bring political forces and the people of the state together to move AJK forward. “If the government is genuinely interested in resolving the problems of the people, there should be nothing that creates discord within the state or sends a message of division to the outside world,” he said.

Gillani leaves for Lahore to meet Nawaz, Maryam

Mr Gillani said the election of a number of young PML-N legislators had brought a “clear change” to the political landscape and expressed confidence in his team’s ability to deliver. “Our entire team has the ability to deliver. It has delivered in the past and will deliver again, and you will all see that delivery,” he said.

Referring to development in AJK, the prime minister credited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif with doubling the region’s development budget, saying the increase had enabled people to see tangible development. He said the building of the Central Press Club was also made possible by the resources provided by the PML-N federal government.

Mr Gillani thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for establishing Danish schools in four AJK districts. He described the initiative as a manifestation of the PML-N leadership’s “affection” for the people of AJK. He also appealed to the media to help create a positive environment and play its role in countering what he described as negative effects.

“This is also the purpose of my visit to the Press Club today,” he said, adding that society needed to move beyond the pursuit of “fame and views” and join hands to build a strong, educated and developed AJK.

Earlier, Mr Gillani visited the terminal of the green electric buses provided to AJK by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Senior Member Board of Revenue Sardar Mohammad Zafar and other officials briefed him on the proposed launch of the bus service, its routes and other arrangements.

The prime minister inspected the e-buses and reviewed facilities at the terminal, issuing directions to the officials concerned.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Gillani thanked PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and CM Maryam for fulfilling their commitment to provide green buses to AJK before the elections. He said the PML-N government’s objective was to promote development, ensure public welfare and reduce people’s hardships. “I assure the people of Azad Kashmir that the PML-N government will work to reduce their problems and address their sense of deprivation. We will make every effort to improve their lives and ensure that the people feel the difference of having a PML-N government in place,” he said.

Later, Mr Gillani left for Lahore on Saturday, where his key engagement would be a courtesy call on party supremo Nawaz Sharif and CM Maryam on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2026