MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet has taken administrative decisions in its first meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Faisal Rathore.
The cabinet has decided to review the issue of health cards, the shortage of staff in educational institutions, and the establishment of new educational institutions, and submit them to the cabinet for approval within a week.
The cabinet decided to approve 30,30 km roads for all constituencies and submit plans for the improvement of 500 km inter-district and inter-tehsil roads to the relevant forum for approval.
The cabinet approved immediate payment of pensions of various departments, including local government, whose employees’ issues had been pending for the last three months.
Risk allowance was also approved for operators who risked their lives to restore roads during landslides.
Media Briefing
Sardar Javed Ayub, Chaudhry Muhammad Rashid, Ms. Nabila Ayub, and government advisor Sardar Fahad Yaqoob briefed the media after the first meeting of the cabinet.
Sardar Javed Ayub said that in the first meeting of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir cabinet today, 11-point agenda items were taken up for consideration, while 35 pending agenda items from the previous period were also taken up for consideration.
The AJK cabinet thanked the President of Pakistan, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, and Ms. Faryal Talpur for playing their role in the establishment of a people’s government in Azad Kashmir under the leadership of Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.
He said that, as per the decisions announced by the Prime Minister, approval was also given to the permanent status of Grade I employees and the upgrading of Grade 4 employees to Grade 5.
He said that the agreement made with the Action Committee would be implemented. The matters that are under the jurisdiction of the Azad Kashmir government will be approved in stages.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan has assured to resolve the matters related to the federal government.
In response to a question, he said that urban planning is part of our plan. Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will tour Muzaffarabad city and review various projects.
The problems of ad hoc and temporary employees will be reviewed on the basis of humanitarian sympathy.
He said that after the earthquake, haphazard construction took place in the city, and building codes were not implemented.
Sardar Javed said that health cards will be given without discrimination and without special treatment.
Immediate steps will be taken to get the report of the malfunction of the angiography machine in the cardiac hospital and get it repaired.
In response to a question, Minister of State Chaudhry Muhammad Rashid said that currently there are 900 shelterless educational institutions in Azad Kashmir while 1100 such educational institutions on which partial work has been done.
4 billion rupees are required to complete these institutions. In this regard, the federal government has approved 1 billion rupees from the Planning Commission, in which the buildings of such institutions will be completed in the first phase on which 80 percent or more work has been done.
A one-time grant is being sought from the federal government to obtain the remaining amount so that the buildings of these institutions can be completed.
