MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The district administration of Muzaffarabad has directed that the 10 electric buses provided by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for the city will not operate until the completion of the election process.
According to official instructions issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Muzaffarabad, the buses have been ordered to remain parked in the parking area outside the Secretariat until further notice. The decision has been taken as part of arrangements during the election period.
The district administration has instructed the concerned authorities not to bring the buses onto the roads until polling is completed and further directions are issued.
Officials said the buses will remain out of service throughout the election period, after which a decision regarding their operation will be made in accordance with the instructions of the relevant authorities.
Earlier, the Punjab government, led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had dispatched 10 state-of-the-art green electric buses to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The development came a few days before the general election in the region, slated to start on July 27 and will be held in three phases.
On the instructions of the CM Punjab, 10 state-of-the-art electric buses departed from Islamabad for Muzaffarabad, the party said on X.
“Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has fulfilled the promise made by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif to the people of Kashmir.”
This people-friendly initiative is an important step towards providing environmentally friendly, safe, and high-quality travel facilities, it added.
The buses carry the inscription “Gift for the people of AJK from CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz” along with the photograph of Maryam Nawaz. “Maryam Nawaz fulfilled her promise to the people of Azad Kashmir within 48 hours,” the post stated.
Earlier on Tuesday, while addressing a public rally in Muzaffarabad, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif announced that 10 electric green buses would reach Muzaffarabad within days and 15 “Clinics on Wheels” would also be gifted to provide healthcare services in remote villages of AJK.
