16 May 2004	Sunday	25 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

MUZAFFARABAD, May 15: The International Fund for Agriculture Development is fully satisfied with the successful implementation of a community-based poverty alleviation project in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are quite happy with the implementation of the IFAD- funded Neelum-Jhelum Valleys Community Development Project here. It has achieved 70 to 75 percent of its objectives," said Mr Akram Qadir Siddiqui, IFAD mission leader, here on Saturday.

Mr Siddiqui spoke to Dawn on the sidelines of the project completion review workshop which was attended by around 100 community members, half of them females, here.

The community development project was launched in AJK in 1993 at a cost of Rs600 million, 68 per cent of which was provided by IFAD, 16 per cent by UNDP, 15 per cent by AJK government and one per cent by the community. Practically, the project was completed in December last year, but its technical closing would be held next month.

Mr Siddiqui said the women in AJK were directly involved in the development process which was rare in other parts of Pakistan.

"Though there is female participation in the Punjab, but not to the extent of what we have seen here. It is gratifying. Otherwise you just forget the 50 percent of your population," he said.

He said IFAD had five ongoing projects in India, but there was none in held Kashmir due to security-related reasons.