December 23, 2001	Sunday	Shawwal 7, 1422

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MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 22: The AJK prime minister on Saturday asked the senior government officials to chalk out a strategy to meet any eventuality in case India resorted to aggression in the disputed Himalayan region.

Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan directed the officials at a high-level meeting to formulate a disaster-management plan and ensure complete cooperation and coordination between different departments so that the security and stability of the country could be maintained.

Sources said the meeting was convened in the wake of India’s massive troop build-up along the line of control and the international and working boundaries and lasted for about three hours. Members of the cabinet, chief secretary, secretaries to the government, heads of the departments and some army officials attended the meeting.

The civil defence department was in particular directed to educate the people on what precautionary measures they must take as the enemy could take a recourse to aggression any time, a source told Dawn.

He said the divisional and district administration were also asked to make all possible efforts to ensure peace, harmony and law and order.

The police were directed to strengthen security of key places and take effective measures to minimise the chances of sabotage, he added.

Speaking at the meeting, the prime minister made it clear that the people of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir were not ignorant of the contemptible and aggressive designs of the enemy and had full capability to give a befitting reply to any sort of aggression.

He held out an assurance to President Pervez Musharraf and the armed forces that the people of Kashmir were with them and would not hesitate from offering any sacrifices for the stability and security of Pakistan.

Sardar Sikandar said that India’s allegations that the training camps (for the Mujahideen) existed in Azad Kashmir were completely baseless.

The Indian government, he said, was launching this propaganda to justify its misadventures along the ceasefire line and gain sympathies of the world community. In this context, the premier directed the director-general public relations department to keep an eye on elements involved in rumour-mongering and provide correct information to the people.

He also directed the officials to activate the village defence committees to face any eventuality. The meeting decided that some honorarium would be given to the members of these committees which were constituted about three years back in villages located close to the LoC following escalation in Indian shelling.

The sources said the meeting also reviewed the availability of food and medicines in the forward areas and directed the respective officials to make necessary arrangements in this regard.

The AJK prime minister announced that he would shortly contact the political and religious leaders and call upon them to play their role in maintaining unity and solidarity in the liberated territory.

Meanwhile, the AJK health department on Saturday cancelled vacations of all the doctors and paramedical staff and directed them to immediately report to their respective places of posting.

Director-general health services Dr Chaudhry Mohammad Akram told Dawn that efforts were being made to ensure that medicines and ambulances were available in the border areas. The department was also taking steps to activate the village health committees so that they could assist the health department personnel in case of emergency, he added.