The negotiations between the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee and the government in Pakistan-administered Kashmir failed once again, after which the Joint Action Committee announced a full-scale protest and shutter-down strike across Azad Kashmir on June 9.
The leaders of the Public Traders Joint Action Committee, Shakir Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Ali Khan Advocate, Umar Nazir Khan and others, while holding a joint press conference at the Central Press Club in Muzaffarabad, said that the government is constantly deviating from the agreements reached and instead of taking the legitimate demands of the public, including traders, seriously, it is resorting to procrastination.
They said that the agreement signed between the government and the Joint Action Committee on October 4 has not been fully implemented till date.
The committee, in a spirit of goodwill, had expressed its willingness to continue the talks till May 31, ending the deadlock, but even during this time, no serious progress was made by the government representatives.
The leaders said that the public demands are still pending while the government is limited to temporary announcements and promises.
They said that the insurance company is not paying for health cards, if Kashmir Bank is made a State Bank, then instead of scheduling, they talk about making a branch online. 10 billion rupees in terms of electricity will be used through WAPDA for transformers and wires in emergency. Till today, the institution is in the circles of PC-1, the promises in this regard have not been kept.
Regarding the Kahori Tunnel, Rs 30 billion were being allocated for the Saudi Kuwait Fund. The project was sabotaged by declaring it a red zone. If hydel projects can be built, why can’t the Kahori Tunnel be built? There is a sliding of the Kahori Commercial Road, build overhead bridges, it is said that it cannot be installed, why are these funds being diverted to other directions.
Practical steps are also not being taken to give Kashmir Bank the status of a scheduled bank of the State Bank. Similarly, there is no transparency in the use of funds allocated for the improvement of the electricity system, provision of transformers, wires and other essential equipment.
The leaders said that instead of being spent on public welfare, billions of rupees of funds approved by the assembly are being used on unnecessary matters, due to which the people are facing serious difficulties.
They said that inflation, unemployment and power crisis have made the lives of the people unbearable, but the government is limited to statements instead of solving public problems.
He made it clear that if the government does not immediately implement the agreement and accept the public demands, then on June 9, there will be a full-scale protest, shutter-down strike and road blockade across Azad Kashmir, for which the entire responsibility will fall on the government.
He appealed to traders, transporters, lawyers, civil society and all schools of thought to fully participate in this movement for public rights so that the government can be forced to solve public problems.
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