Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Midland doctors build state of the art health facility near Muzaffarabad
Hardly 9 kilometres away from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital, along the much improved Jhelum valley road, one cannot help but notice a magnificent structure that has unobtrusively emerged over the last four years and houses a state of the art charitable health facility.
For long, most of the people driving through Tandali village were not aware that how selflessly and tirelessly a team of United Kingdom based devoted Pakistani and Kashmiri doctors was working day and night to translate its dream of providing this ‘humble gift’ to the earthquake stricken people of Kashmir.
Today, the 88-bed health facility stands out in the picturesque area, thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of Midland Doctors Association United Kingdom (MDAUK), a registered charity in UK with zero administrative expenditure.
During a visit to the hospital site on Wednesday, a day before its formal inauguration by AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, this scribe caught a glimpse of how the MDAUK team had thrown itself heart and soul into the project over the last five years.
Dr Syed Yusuf Iftikhar, who heads MDAUK as chairman, was passing directions to workers and volunteers to make everything in readiness for the inaugural ceremony.
The 58-year old Karachi born consultant surgeon recalled that how it was decided to raise a ‘futuristic health facility’ in this region, in the aftermath of October 2005 earthquake, which left more than 70,000 people dead and thousands others wounded.
Within a week after the tragedy, Dr Iftikhar was among a team of 7 surgeons from Nottingham and Derby which flew into Pakistan and worked over the next six days in a field hospital in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The glaringly obvious lack of appropriate medical facilities even before the disaster was shocking for them and, on return to England, all dedicated themselves to building a charitable hospital in the region.
MDUK was created initially to serve this simple purpose though later it engaged itself in other charitable acts in Pakistan as well, such as establishing a model village in Sindh for the flood victims.
According to Dr Iftikhar, the hospital was designed to not only provide completely free healthcare at the point of delivery but also serve as a major training centre for local healthcare professionals as well as a focal point for any future relief operations in the event of any other disaster.
Land, measuring more than 4 acres, was acquired in 2008. Architectural design and structural engineering drawings were done in UK and Pakistan, respectively, to resist a 9-magnitude temblor and finally construction work started in July 2009.
Dr Iftikhar would travel to Pakistan after every three months, at his own expense, for 3-4 days to inspect the construction work and meet relevant needs. So would be done by other members, including the Mirpur born MDAUK vice chairman Dr Javed Raza.
When asked if ever he thought that he had launched a difficult project, Dr Iftikhar said: “Our vision was to do something unique, something that was not previously available to the people here.”
“Today I am excited that we have been able to actualise our aim of raising the National Health Services (NHS) inspired health facility which will be run by the NHS consultants, thanks to our trustees, sponsors and donors,” he added.
He told that instantly they had hired a staff of 15 people, including two doctors, to run the facility. However, gradually, the strength would swell to 125, from highest to the lowest tier.
A team of senior surgeons from the UK would visit the hospital every month not only to perform operations but also to transform their knowledge to the local staff, he added.
The imposing edifice, with red brick roofs, has two portions. The front portion is single storied whereas the rear portion has two floors. In between and around are lush green lawns, some still under development.
The structure houses 16 capacious wards with attached bathrooms, operation theatres, laboratory, X-ray plant, physiotherapy section, lecture hall, canteen and a prayer place.
Hospital and patients will benefit from picture archiving and communication system (PACS) through which X-rays and other electronic images would be transmitted to the MDAUK office for expert opinion.
The building is also equipped with a digital telephone system with 60 handsets and associated accessories, night vision cameras and IT facilities.
To a question, he said as yet around £2.5 million had been spent on the project. The cost could have swelled, had the construction work been given to any contractor, he said.
Local residents were jubilant at the opening of a modern hospital in the area.
“This hospital will not only provide us much needed healthcare facilities but also serve as a milestone in development of the entire area,” said one of them on the occasion. Tariq Naqash
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Seven years on, half hearted reconstruction haunts earthquake survivors in AJK
By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 7: As the entire Kashmiri nation and their Pakistani partisans celebrate 7th anniversary of October 2005 earthquake on Monday, concerns about accomplishment of the pledged reconstruction programme, particularly in the urban areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, still lay heavy on the survivors, it has been observed.
Like an annual ritual, government functionaries had started bragging about their achievements and future plans regarding the reconstruction programme, soon after the onset of October, notwithstanding a widely known bitter reality – acute scarcity of cash flow.
According to the figures obtained from the State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (Serra), out of 7984 projects/facilities, 4693 had so far been completed while work was “in progress” on another 2068. Around 1223 projects were yet to be started.
The education sector was still the worst hit, as out of the 2792 projects, 1714 were either “in progress” or yet to be started. Of these 1714, major chunk, i.e., 1610, was to be built under the Government of Pakistan (GoP) funding.
According to Sardar Rahim Khan, who was recently posted as secretary Serra, the reconstruction related bodies - Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) and Serra – were unable to complete projects according to their Annual Work Plan (AWP) due to acute financial crisis faced by the country.
However, nevertheless, 350 projects had been completed in AJK over the last one year and of them 135 were in education sector, he said.
A brief prepared by Serra revealed that severe financial crunch had virtually paralysed the reconstruction programme since April 2010.
During fiscal year 2010-11, Rs 8.509 billion were released against a demand of Rs 27 billion. In fiscal year 2011-12, Rs 6.867 billion (GoP 2.593 billion and the rest foreign aid) were released against the demand of Rs 32.328 billion.
Requirements for current fiscal year for ongoing projects in AJK were worked out at Rs 16.02 billion whereas the central government had allocated a paltry Rs 10 billion to Erra for the entire reconstruction programme in AJK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Of this, the amount released to AJK until September 30 was just Rs 314 million whereas total volume of Serra’s matured liabilities by that time was Rs 1.47 billion.
“The central government should allocate more funds for reconstruction programme to help us clear pending liabilities which have already caused a considerable demobilisation of contractors,” said the sources in Serra.
Sources told that during their last meeting with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman Erra on September 16 both the AJK president and prime minister had called for immediate release of funds and enhancement of budgetary allocations for AJK. “But it had cut no ice with the Erra bosses.”
In the backdrop of this situation, AJK’s civil society and many political parties allege that reconstruction programme had badly suffered due to diversion of reconstruction related funds to some other heads by the PPP-led central government.
“It’s very unfortunate that the central government has brazenly diverted reconstruction related funds and is paying mere lip service to quake survivors,” said Zahid Amin, a prominent civil society activist.
Mr Amin, who as chairman Development Authority Muzaffarabad (DAM) was privy to most of the developments, regretted that a number of important projects earlier pledged to the ravaged AJK capital had been shelved by the governments in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad.
It may be mentioned here that the Chinese government had pledged a soft loan of US $300 million for reconstruction programme to which US $53 million was added by the GoP as a counterpart funding.
The amount was apportioned to three AJK cities – Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot. Share for Muzaffarabad stands at US$ 190.62 million (54% of the total), but of the 104 projects worked out at the beginning, many have been shelved.
According to Serra’s document, the federal government had pledged a total allocation of Rs 4.187 billion under “President of Pakistan’s Relief Fund” for land acquisition for city development projects. However, of it only Rs 2 billion had so far been released.
In the ongoing fiscal year, Serra had demanded Rs 700 million from that allocation to “avert jeopardy faced by city development projects” but nothing had been provided.
On Monday, residents of Muzaffarabad were all set o stage a sit-in against what Mr Amin said “perfidies” meted out to the earthquake survivors over the past seven years.
Serra document also disclosed that of the total 234 projects for all three towns, only 5 had been completed and 42 were in progress whereas work on 187 was yet to see the light of the day.
The earthquake survivors were also aghast at Erra which, they allege, had not only been overstepping its mandate but had been wasting “a hell lot of money on non-essentials.”
“Erra was constituted for planning of reconstruction programme in the affected areas, but it has not only indulged in implementation, particularly in donor sponsored projects where the cash flow is not an issue, but has also got it converted into a permanent body at the cost of survivors,” lamented Mr Amin.
According to documents obtained from Erra, there are around 400 employees in the authority, 82 of which are enjoying gazetted positions.
Most of them have been regularised whereas many have gone to the courts for their regularisation, notwithstanding the fact that the purpose for which the body was raised was lagging far behind than the pledges and promises.
Ends
Sunday, June 19, 2011
AJK Election Commission resigns to its helplnessness
By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, June 18: The AJK Election Commission (EC) on Saturday confessed to its "impotence" in the face of faulty electoral rolls as criticism from political parties and individuals mounted in this regard.
In a statement, an unnamed EC spokesman also made no bones in telling that “since little time was left in the (day of) polling, redress of hundreds of pending complaints about electoral rolls and polling scheme was next to impossible.”
The statement appeared to be a veiled attempt to shift the blame for faulty voter lists on the government for it had suggested employment of the revenue department’s field staff, mainly the patwaris, for the purpose instead of the education department teachers.
“The Election Commission got the electoral rolls for 2011 general election prepared through the field staff of revenue department, instead of the education department staff, under the decision of the AJK government. (And) after the printing, plentiful errors in the lists came to fore which were corrected through the same staff under the supervision of respective deputy commissioners,” he said.
“However, nevertheless, there were still mistakes in the rolls and the EC did not have enough staff of its own to rectify them completely,” he added.
He said the polling schemes were prepared by the assistant returning officers (tehsildars) in coordination with their parent (revenue) department under the supervision of the returning officers, who were members of the subordinate judiciary.
However, he admitted, there had also been numerous complaints about the polling schemes.
“Let it be clear the Election Commission has no role, either in preparation of electoral rolls or in compilation of polling schemes… While the rolls were prepared by the field staff of revenue department, the polling schemes were also prepared with their cooperation,” he said.
The EC statement came as political parties, including the ruling Muslim Conference, have mounted criticism against errors and mistakes in the electoral rolls. Many candidates have gone to the courts to get the dual and bogus votes quashed.
On Saturday, PML-N chief organiser Raja Farooq Haider said thousands of bogus votes enrolled in AJK put a big question mark on the credibility and transparency of elections.
Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Peoples Party AJK candidate from Muzaffarabad city, has already submitted an application in the EC along with evidence of more than 3000 dual votes which he alleges were enlisted at the behest of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, who has launched his son from here.
Regarding other issues, the EC spokesman asserted that all arrangements for polling had been completed. Polling material had reached the concerned districts and the money for polling allowance and movement scheme had also been granted to the returning officers and deputy commissioners concerned, respectively.
Stating that directives had been issued to all concerned to conduct polling in a peaceful atmosphere, he warned that the CEC may initiate disciplinary action under the AJK Election Ordinance 1970 against those government officials found guilty of irresponsibility and negligence.
Similarly, he added, riotousness on the part of candidates or their supporters could also lead to the disqualification of the former.
Ends
MUZAFFARABAD, June 18: The AJK Election Commission (EC) on Saturday confessed to its "impotence" in the face of faulty electoral rolls as criticism from political parties and individuals mounted in this regard.
In a statement, an unnamed EC spokesman also made no bones in telling that “since little time was left in the (day of) polling, redress of hundreds of pending complaints about electoral rolls and polling scheme was next to impossible.”
The statement appeared to be a veiled attempt to shift the blame for faulty voter lists on the government for it had suggested employment of the revenue department’s field staff, mainly the patwaris, for the purpose instead of the education department teachers.
“The Election Commission got the electoral rolls for 2011 general election prepared through the field staff of revenue department, instead of the education department staff, under the decision of the AJK government. (And) after the printing, plentiful errors in the lists came to fore which were corrected through the same staff under the supervision of respective deputy commissioners,” he said.
“However, nevertheless, there were still mistakes in the rolls and the EC did not have enough staff of its own to rectify them completely,” he added.
He said the polling schemes were prepared by the assistant returning officers (tehsildars) in coordination with their parent (revenue) department under the supervision of the returning officers, who were members of the subordinate judiciary.
However, he admitted, there had also been numerous complaints about the polling schemes.
“Let it be clear the Election Commission has no role, either in preparation of electoral rolls or in compilation of polling schemes… While the rolls were prepared by the field staff of revenue department, the polling schemes were also prepared with their cooperation,” he said.
The EC statement came as political parties, including the ruling Muslim Conference, have mounted criticism against errors and mistakes in the electoral rolls. Many candidates have gone to the courts to get the dual and bogus votes quashed.
On Saturday, PML-N chief organiser Raja Farooq Haider said thousands of bogus votes enrolled in AJK put a big question mark on the credibility and transparency of elections.
Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Peoples Party AJK candidate from Muzaffarabad city, has already submitted an application in the EC along with evidence of more than 3000 dual votes which he alleges were enlisted at the behest of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, who has launched his son from here.
Regarding other issues, the EC spokesman asserted that all arrangements for polling had been completed. Polling material had reached the concerned districts and the money for polling allowance and movement scheme had also been granted to the returning officers and deputy commissioners concerned, respectively.
Stating that directives had been issued to all concerned to conduct polling in a peaceful atmosphere, he warned that the CEC may initiate disciplinary action under the AJK Election Ordinance 1970 against those government officials found guilty of irresponsibility and negligence.
Similarly, he added, riotousness on the part of candidates or their supporters could also lead to the disqualification of the former.
Ends
Friday, June 17, 2011
Nawaz Sharif fails to inject election fever in his party cadres
By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, June 16: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Thursday attended the first election related public meeting of his party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, but his speech focused more on the situation in Pakistan and less on election in AJK.
The public meeting, with more than 6000 participants, was held in a stadium in Kotli, the hometown of former AJK premier Sardar Sikandar Hayat who presided it over
“I am in love with Azad Kashmir and the situation here compelled me to launch PML-N in AJK,” Mr Sharif said and asked the electorate to vote for the candidates, bearing the (election) symbol of tiger.
“We have to get our rights as a tiger which is a brave symbol and has now come to AJK. You have to vindicate us,” he said.
He announced that if his party came to power in Pakistan he would construct an Islamabad like motorway in AJK as well.
Unlike expectations Mr Sharif could not go into details that why he had launched his party in AJK and why the Kashmiris should vote for it, something which the organisers would have wanted from him in order to inject election fever in their constituents.
Instead, Mr Sharif’s address revolved around his alleged achievements as prime minister and repercussions of his deposition by the Pervez Musharraf led military generals.
“Pakistan was making progress in our government, ahead of India in the field of economic and competing it in the field of defence,” he said, claiming that had his government not been deposed, Kashmir problem would have been resolved by now.
Mr Sharif recalled that after he made Pakistan a nuclear state, the then Indian premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to Lahore by bus and stated that India wanted to resolve all issues, including Kashmir, at the negotiating table.
“In today’s world issues are not resolved through talks but General Musharraf and three other fellow conspirators – Gen Mahmood, Gen Javed and Gen Aziz, sabotaged our efforts by launching a misadventure of Kargil,” he said.
The PML-N leader said Pakistan was not made by Quaid-e-Azam for breaking law and constitution but here not only the constitution was breached but the person who breached it (Gen Musharraf) was given guard of honour and gallantry awards.
"I have come into the field to make good of the wrongs the country is in today," he said.
The participants and critics were in a fix as to what was the real purpose of the much hyped visit – to vindicate Mr Sharif’s hawkish politics in Pakistan at the moment or create a support base for his newly launched political party in AJK.
He did not make any mention of the ruling Muslim Conference and its alleged bad governance or the AJK chapter of Peoples Party which enjoys blessings of the central government.
In his earlier visit in December last year, when he had formally launched his party in AJK, Mr Sharif had also failed to make a relevant speech and had instead targeted the MQM, leading to a unpleasant war of words between the two sides.
Ends
MUZAFFARABAD, June 16: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Thursday attended the first election related public meeting of his party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, but his speech focused more on the situation in Pakistan and less on election in AJK.
The public meeting, with more than 6000 participants, was held in a stadium in Kotli, the hometown of former AJK premier Sardar Sikandar Hayat who presided it over
“I am in love with Azad Kashmir and the situation here compelled me to launch PML-N in AJK,” Mr Sharif said and asked the electorate to vote for the candidates, bearing the (election) symbol of tiger.
“We have to get our rights as a tiger which is a brave symbol and has now come to AJK. You have to vindicate us,” he said.
He announced that if his party came to power in Pakistan he would construct an Islamabad like motorway in AJK as well.
Unlike expectations Mr Sharif could not go into details that why he had launched his party in AJK and why the Kashmiris should vote for it, something which the organisers would have wanted from him in order to inject election fever in their constituents.
Instead, Mr Sharif’s address revolved around his alleged achievements as prime minister and repercussions of his deposition by the Pervez Musharraf led military generals.
“Pakistan was making progress in our government, ahead of India in the field of economic and competing it in the field of defence,” he said, claiming that had his government not been deposed, Kashmir problem would have been resolved by now.
Mr Sharif recalled that after he made Pakistan a nuclear state, the then Indian premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to Lahore by bus and stated that India wanted to resolve all issues, including Kashmir, at the negotiating table.
“In today’s world issues are not resolved through talks but General Musharraf and three other fellow conspirators – Gen Mahmood, Gen Javed and Gen Aziz, sabotaged our efforts by launching a misadventure of Kargil,” he said.
The PML-N leader said Pakistan was not made by Quaid-e-Azam for breaking law and constitution but here not only the constitution was breached but the person who breached it (Gen Musharraf) was given guard of honour and gallantry awards.
"I have come into the field to make good of the wrongs the country is in today," he said.
The participants and critics were in a fix as to what was the real purpose of the much hyped visit – to vindicate Mr Sharif’s hawkish politics in Pakistan at the moment or create a support base for his newly launched political party in AJK.
He did not make any mention of the ruling Muslim Conference and its alleged bad governance or the AJK chapter of Peoples Party which enjoys blessings of the central government.
In his earlier visit in December last year, when he had formally launched his party in AJK, Mr Sharif had also failed to make a relevant speech and had instead targeted the MQM, leading to a unpleasant war of words between the two sides.
Ends
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
'Lent officers also make hay while the sun shines'
By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, June 7: In yet another act of ‘generosity’ at the cost of poor taxpayers, Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has ordered provision of some certain facilities to all those retired federal government officers who have ever served in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as chief secretary.
“The government has been pleased to order that the facilities approved for the chief secretaries to the AJK government, vide a notification dated 15-06-2006, shall continue and apply to all the chief secretaries who have served in AJK, irrespective of the fact whether they retired as chief secretary AJK or thereafter,” read an official notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD), here the other day.
But when asked to comment, AJK Finance Minister Abdul Rashid Abbasi candidly said he was not aware if any such notification had been issued.
According to the June 2006 notification, which was issued when the region was going through the hubbub of electioneering in the aftermath of devastating October 2005 earthquake, "the government was pleased to grant exemption to the retired chief secretaries from taking out licences for possession of up to one prohibited bore and two non-prohibited bore weapons, free access to all government guesthouses, rest houses, circuit houses in AJK and Kashmir House Islamabad, pick up and drop facility at Islamabad airport with protocol coverage, provision of a staff car for a maximum of three days during stay at Kashmir House Islamabad, services of a driver and a cook, to be appointed by the beneficiary by himself, for life time."
Although the notification had drawn flak for the reason that being a federal government officer, the AJK chief secretary was not a liability of the cash strapped AJK government, the AJK finance department had granted financial concurrence from March 1, 2007 for creation of six each posts of drivers and cooks in BPS-4 and BPS-1, respectively, for the former chief secretaries.
During posting in AJK, a chief secretary draws his salary from the federal exchequer while his accommodation, vehicles and other facilities are arranged and sponsored by the state government.
The controversial notification was allegedly imitated from a similar document issued by the Punjab government but it carried ambiguities which appeared to have been left unaddressed deliberately, according to official sources.
In May 2008, the S&GAD had sought a decision from Prime Minister Attique regarding revocation or protraction of the said notification after withdrawal of financial concurrence to the new posts by the finance department.
However, the move was shelved after opposition by the then chief secretary Javed Majeed. Ironically, the prime minister had also seconded the opinion of his confidant chief secretary.
The fresh notification, according to sources, was issued to remove the “ambiguities” in the initial (June 2006) document to extend these benefits to all those chief secretaries who had either retired from service during their posting in AJK or had held this office prior to their retirement from any other position in Pakistan.
However, even the fresh notification had deliberately overlooked another important issue regarding the place of permanent residence of former AJK chief secretaries after their retirement from the Central Superior Services.
Official sources lamented that while AJK was facing severe resources constraints the government was issuing such notifications only to please the federal government officers from the taxpayers’ money.
When contacted, a source in the finance department told this scribe that they will have to arrange funds for provision of these facilities to at least eight former AJK chief secretaries.
“We are born to serve and we cannot raise any objection,” remarked the source , cynically.
According to official record, of the nearly 39 chief secretaries who served in AJK after 1947, the only one who rose to this position from the AJK services was Mr Abdul Haq Suharwardy (1969-71) while the rest were CSP officers.
Ends
MUZAFFARABAD, June 7: In yet another act of ‘generosity’ at the cost of poor taxpayers, Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has ordered provision of some certain facilities to all those retired federal government officers who have ever served in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as chief secretary.
“The government has been pleased to order that the facilities approved for the chief secretaries to the AJK government, vide a notification dated 15-06-2006, shall continue and apply to all the chief secretaries who have served in AJK, irrespective of the fact whether they retired as chief secretary AJK or thereafter,” read an official notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD), here the other day.
But when asked to comment, AJK Finance Minister Abdul Rashid Abbasi candidly said he was not aware if any such notification had been issued.
According to the June 2006 notification, which was issued when the region was going through the hubbub of electioneering in the aftermath of devastating October 2005 earthquake, "the government was pleased to grant exemption to the retired chief secretaries from taking out licences for possession of up to one prohibited bore and two non-prohibited bore weapons, free access to all government guesthouses, rest houses, circuit houses in AJK and Kashmir House Islamabad, pick up and drop facility at Islamabad airport with protocol coverage, provision of a staff car for a maximum of three days during stay at Kashmir House Islamabad, services of a driver and a cook, to be appointed by the beneficiary by himself, for life time."
Although the notification had drawn flak for the reason that being a federal government officer, the AJK chief secretary was not a liability of the cash strapped AJK government, the AJK finance department had granted financial concurrence from March 1, 2007 for creation of six each posts of drivers and cooks in BPS-4 and BPS-1, respectively, for the former chief secretaries.
During posting in AJK, a chief secretary draws his salary from the federal exchequer while his accommodation, vehicles and other facilities are arranged and sponsored by the state government.
The controversial notification was allegedly imitated from a similar document issued by the Punjab government but it carried ambiguities which appeared to have been left unaddressed deliberately, according to official sources.
In May 2008, the S&GAD had sought a decision from Prime Minister Attique regarding revocation or protraction of the said notification after withdrawal of financial concurrence to the new posts by the finance department.
However, the move was shelved after opposition by the then chief secretary Javed Majeed. Ironically, the prime minister had also seconded the opinion of his confidant chief secretary.
The fresh notification, according to sources, was issued to remove the “ambiguities” in the initial (June 2006) document to extend these benefits to all those chief secretaries who had either retired from service during their posting in AJK or had held this office prior to their retirement from any other position in Pakistan.
However, even the fresh notification had deliberately overlooked another important issue regarding the place of permanent residence of former AJK chief secretaries after their retirement from the Central Superior Services.
Official sources lamented that while AJK was facing severe resources constraints the government was issuing such notifications only to please the federal government officers from the taxpayers’ money.
When contacted, a source in the finance department told this scribe that they will have to arrange funds for provision of these facilities to at least eight former AJK chief secretaries.
“We are born to serve and we cannot raise any objection,” remarked the source , cynically.
According to official record, of the nearly 39 chief secretaries who served in AJK after 1947, the only one who rose to this position from the AJK services was Mr Abdul Haq Suharwardy (1969-71) while the rest were CSP officers.
Ends
Friday, June 3, 2011
Just three weeks before polls, AJK PM appoints three more advisers
By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, June 3: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Friday appointed three leaders of his Muslim Conference (MC) as his advisers with the status of minister, raising the number of unelected flag-holders in the region to six.
Chaudhry Mohammad Rasheed from Neelum Valley and Hassan Bashir Khan and Syed Bashir Andrabi from the Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan were administered oath by the premier at a ceremony in Kashmir House Islamabad.
The appointments which came just three weeks before the polling day drew flaks from the opposition parties.
However, interestingly, while the PML-N greeted the move with scathing criticism, response by the PPAJK was comparatively soft.
“These appointments amount to pre-poll rigging as the purpose is to manipulate the polls at the cost of taxpayers’ money and we call upon the chief election commissioner to take serious stock of it,” said PML-N chief organiser Raja Farooq Haider.
He alleged that Sardar Attique was already running a minority government and there was no need to burden the exchequer with the appointment of unelected advisers at a time when election was hardly three weeks away.
According to him, the AJK premier was taking these steps with the backing of the federal government which lent credence to his (Mr Haider’s) repeated allegations in the past in this regard.
However, when this scribe contacted PPAJK’s senior vice president Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin for his comments, he said: “It’s an immoral act but it’s the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint advisers.”
MC’s chief organizer Fida Hussain Kiani said the appointments were “neither immoral, nor unconstitutional.”
“He is prime minister till his successor enters upon this office and he can take any step for smooth functioning of his government,” Mr Kiani said.
It may be recalled that Sardar Attique has recently withdrawn his candidate in PPAJK president Chaudhry Abdul Majeed’s constituency under what was said from both sides a “policy of harmony and rapprochement.”
Similarly, the MC has also declared its support to Speaker Chaudhry Anwaar ul Haq, PPAJK candidate from Bhimber city.
Highly placed sources told Dawn that the premier wanted to appoint five advisers but his well-wishers in the federal government suggested him to cut short that number.
Earlier on April 30, the prime minister had appointed Deevan Chughtai and Malik Karamat from Hattian Bala and Kotli districts, respectively, as his advisers. Mr Chughtai is MC candidate in the June 26 polls. Prior to them, Raja Aftab Akram from Kotli, also an MC candidate, was appointed as adviser.
Appointments of such advisers in AJK are provided in the Rules of Business 1985. However, the AJK’s interim Act 1974 has mention of only one adviser - Plebiscite Adviser.
It may also be mentioned here that the current strength of Prime Minister Sardar Attique’s initially 23-member cabinet has reduced to 16, after the recent removals and resignations of 7 ministers.
Ends
MUZAFFARABAD, June 3: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Friday appointed three leaders of his Muslim Conference (MC) as his advisers with the status of minister, raising the number of unelected flag-holders in the region to six.
Chaudhry Mohammad Rasheed from Neelum Valley and Hassan Bashir Khan and Syed Bashir Andrabi from the Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan were administered oath by the premier at a ceremony in Kashmir House Islamabad.
The appointments which came just three weeks before the polling day drew flaks from the opposition parties.
However, interestingly, while the PML-N greeted the move with scathing criticism, response by the PPAJK was comparatively soft.
“These appointments amount to pre-poll rigging as the purpose is to manipulate the polls at the cost of taxpayers’ money and we call upon the chief election commissioner to take serious stock of it,” said PML-N chief organiser Raja Farooq Haider.
He alleged that Sardar Attique was already running a minority government and there was no need to burden the exchequer with the appointment of unelected advisers at a time when election was hardly three weeks away.
According to him, the AJK premier was taking these steps with the backing of the federal government which lent credence to his (Mr Haider’s) repeated allegations in the past in this regard.
However, when this scribe contacted PPAJK’s senior vice president Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin for his comments, he said: “It’s an immoral act but it’s the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint advisers.”
MC’s chief organizer Fida Hussain Kiani said the appointments were “neither immoral, nor unconstitutional.”
“He is prime minister till his successor enters upon this office and he can take any step for smooth functioning of his government,” Mr Kiani said.
It may be recalled that Sardar Attique has recently withdrawn his candidate in PPAJK president Chaudhry Abdul Majeed’s constituency under what was said from both sides a “policy of harmony and rapprochement.”
Similarly, the MC has also declared its support to Speaker Chaudhry Anwaar ul Haq, PPAJK candidate from Bhimber city.
Highly placed sources told Dawn that the premier wanted to appoint five advisers but his well-wishers in the federal government suggested him to cut short that number.
Earlier on April 30, the prime minister had appointed Deevan Chughtai and Malik Karamat from Hattian Bala and Kotli districts, respectively, as his advisers. Mr Chughtai is MC candidate in the June 26 polls. Prior to them, Raja Aftab Akram from Kotli, also an MC candidate, was appointed as adviser.
Appointments of such advisers in AJK are provided in the Rules of Business 1985. However, the AJK’s interim Act 1974 has mention of only one adviser - Plebiscite Adviser.
It may also be mentioned here that the current strength of Prime Minister Sardar Attique’s initially 23-member cabinet has reduced to 16, after the recent removals and resignations of 7 ministers.
Ends
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