MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court has issued an interim stay order on the 990-km road construction projects approved by the Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul Haq led government.
The High Court has ordered an immediate halt to all these projects along with the newspaper advertisements and tenders.
The Honorable Judge of the AJK High Court, Justice Shahid Bihar, issued this interim order after renowned contractor Jamil Alam and others filed a constitutional petition, in which the petitioners took the stand that the current government, by committing serious irregularities, political nepotism, and violating the law in the distribution of development funds.
The government also violated the PEPARA rules and completely ignored the guidelines of the Planning and Development Department (P&D) and the Pakistan Planning Commission, which has not only raised questions about the financial management of Azad Kashmir but also made the development process highly controversial.
The petitioners informed the court that the government had approved road projects worth a total of Rs 16 billion for all 33 constituencies, under which each member of the assembly was provided with 20 km of new roads and 10 km of de-conditioning roads, at a cost of Rs 26 million and Rs 16 million per km respectively.
These schemes included construction of bridges and other roads under special projects along with general roads. However, out of the initial Rs 300 million given to the Highways Department in July 2025, Rs 170 million was spent only on Bhimber district, while the remaining Rs 130 million was released for the entire Azad Kashmir, which is a clear question mark on the government’s financial priorities.
After the initial hearing, the High Court issued notices to all the relevant departments, including the Highways, Planning and Development, and Finance departments, and imposed a stay order till the next hearing and sought detailed responses for further action.
This judicial move was in line with the recent development policy of Azad Kashmir. It is being considered a major legal intervention, which is not only a step towards restoring the principles of financial transparency but can also have a direct impact on the credibility and governance of the current government.
