Slash powers of Kashmir Council: PaK civil society

‘It will empower local Govt, ensure socio economic development’

NISAR AHMED THOKAR

Islamabad, Mar 4: Participants at a Round Table Conference (RTC) held at Mirpore in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) on Saturday stressed on the need to slash the executive powers enjoyed by Kashmir Council under Act 1974 and demanded that an amendment-bill in this regard should be presented in the (PaK) Legislative Assembly. 
 Speaking at a RTC organized by Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms (CPDR) participants said, “Reduction in Kashmir Council’s powers, establishing an independent election commission, holding free and fair elections for Legislative Assembly, reserving seats for Kashmiri migrants, appointment of judges and setting up judicial commission in PaK will empower the local government besides ensuring socio economic development in the area.”
 Highlighting the salient features of the CPDR report titled “An appraisal of Constitutional, Financial and administrative arrangements between the governments of Pakistan and PaK,” Justice (retired) Basharat Ahmed Shaik said that an amendment in Act 1974 is imperative as it has administratively paralyzed the government and rendered it powerless and impotent body. “The Act has in fact encouraged non-transparent, undemocratic and dual system of governance in the region,” he added.
 Justice (retired) Majeed Malik said that under the interim Act of 1974 “ PaK” was neither a part of Pakistan nor an independent state.
 Flaying the ruling elite he said that the governments and political leadership were responsible for the mess prevailing in the region. “More often the rulers of the region try to prove themselves as more loyal than the king,” he said.
 “A committee should be set-up in the legislative assembly with a mandate to revisit the existing administrative and financial arrangements,” Malik added.
 Former president of Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zulfiqar Abbassi while highlighting the economic challenges faced by the people of the region said that in next ten years 200,000 youth would need jobs. To the contrary he said that there was not even job opportunity for ten thousand youth in private or public sector in the region. “Due to wrong policies of the governments hundreds of industrial units are lying idle in Mirpore,” he said.
 He also criticized the role of national banks saying that rather than investing in the region these banking institutions have been collecting huge revenue and foreign exchange from PaK.
 Renowned writer and columnist Ershad Mehmood said that there is a consensus amongst the civil society that the existing arrangements between the governments of Pakistan and PaK should be revisited keeping in view the larger interests of the people
.