LEEPA (Kashmir English): Minister for Power Development Organization (PDO) Azad Kashmir, Chaudhry Muhammad Rashid, made a bold statement regarding last year’s decision to provide electricity to the people at a subsidized rate of Rs3 per unit.
In an interview with Kashmir Digital, the government minister stated that the decision was not a result of the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) efforts, but rather the outcome of the Azad Kashmir government’s own initiatives.
The new tariff was announced following violent protests in May, which resulted in several casualties and injuries. After the protest from JAAC, the government signed an agreement with protesters to lower the power rates.
However, while talking to Kashmir Digital, Chaudhry Rashid credited the efforts of the Azad Kashmir government, led by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, for the achievement. He stated that the government had been working tirelessly to bring down the price of electricity to the generation cost.
The minister claimed that the government had held regular discussions with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Federal Minister for Power, raising the demand for a cheap electricity supply to the people of Azad Kashmir.
The minister challenged the representatives of the Joint Action Committee to take an oath stating that their demand was indeed Rs 3 per unit. If they do so, he promised to immediately resign from his ministry.
He claimed that the JAAC later came to know that this issue was under discussion, and then they made it part of their movement. “The fact is that three rupees per unit of electricity was not even on their minds,” he said.
Chaudhry Muhammad Rashid emphasized that the government had done this work from the heart and was speaking on record, rather than being pressured into it.
