MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Chaudhry Anwarul Haq chaired a high-level meeting along with Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Moin Wattoo to review the damages caused in Azad Kashmir during the monsoon.
The meeting was attended by Senior Minister Col. (retd) Waqar Ahmed Noor, government ministers Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, Mian Abdul Waheed Advocate, Abdul Majid Khan, Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq, and others.
The meeting reviewed in detail the damages caused in Azad Kashmir during the monsoon.
The Secretary State Disaster Management Authority briefed the Azad Kashmir government on the relief activities and total damages for the immediate rehabilitation of the victims, the Secretary Highways briefed on the roads and bridges damaged by the Highways Department during the monsoon, while the Secretary PDO briefed on the power houses and infrastructure damaged due to the monsoon rains.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said that the devastation during the monsoon this year is unprecedented in the history of Azad Kashmir, and the infrastructure has been badly affected by the recent disasters.
The Azad Kashmir government did an exemplary job in securing the citizens during Operation Banyan Marsus and the monsoon and in carrying out immediate relief activities for the rehabilitation of the affected people.
The government will reconstruct the affected ongoing projects of the current financial year from its own ADP; however, a federal grant is required for the infrastructure already constructed.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Moin Wattoo said that Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is personally interested in the reconstruction of the affected areas of Azad Kashmir and has sent me with special instructions to assess the damage.
The government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan desire the development and prosperity of Azad Kashmir. An immediate cost estimate should be prepared and a report submitted to the federal government for the reconstruction of the infrastructure so that the rehabilitation can begin.
The federal government will provide full support for the rehabilitation of the victims, including infrastructure damaged during the monsoon.
