MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Azad Kashmir High Court on Wednesday issued a landmark verdict, stopping the government from releasing funds to members of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
The high court accepted the plea filed by the local government representatives in 2023 against the government for not getting funds and power under Azad Jammu and Kashmir Local Government Act, 1990.
The case was pursued by renowned lawyers Raja Sajjad Advocate, Barrister Humayun Nawaz, and Raja Nasir Advocate.
AJK High Court Divisional Bench comprising Justice Sardar Ijaz and Justice Khalid Rasheed heard the case and instructed the Azad Kashmir government to fully implement the Local Government Act and release development funds for all local bodies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The court’s decision has ordered the government to provide the local government representatives with their constitutional powers and ensure transparent use of development funds.
“Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are prevented from distributing development funds, as this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RDD),” the court maintained.
The High Court also directed that a copy of this decision be enclosed with it and sent to the concerned departments for implementation.
This decision is being termed a major success of the local government representatives, while different reactions are coming out in government circles.
Talking to the media outside the court, Senior lawyer Raja Sajjad Khan said, “This decision is a milestone, it is a landmark judgment.”
“After a long struggle, elections were held, everyone knows that they were held on the orders of the Supreme Court, but despite the passage of two years, the Local Government Act has not been implemented,” he said.
