MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Barrister Iftikhar Gillani on Wednesday said that the constitutional status and financial independence of the state cannot be compromised, rejecting speculation about any change in its status.
Addressing the AJK Legislative Assembly session, the prime minister said social media was awash with misleading claims about changing AJK’s status.
He challenged those spreading such claims to present any evidence or information they had and urged political and other stakeholders to avoid statements that could create chaos in the state.
Gilani said his government would take the opposition along on important matters.
Speaking about development projects, Gillani said that work on the Rathoa Haryam Bridge had been completed by 99 per cent and that the prime minister of Pakistan would inaugurate it soon.
He also announced plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Cambridge examination board to improve the standard of the AJK Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Mirpur.
The prime minister further said the Mirpur Board was a state institution and called for moving beyond divisional and district-based distinctions.
Regarding the quality of subsidised flour, Gilani said the issue would be addressed on a priority basis.
He noted that the government was providing a substantial subsidy on flour, with the amount almost equivalent to AJK’s development budget.
