December 3, 2005	Saturday	Shawwal 30, 1426

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MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 2: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat on Friday said the AJK Council had completed its mandated tenure and its continuation was a serious violation of the interim constitution of the state. on the floor of the assembly, he described the AJK council meeting called for Saturday as unconstitutional and announced he would not attend it under protest.

The AJK election commission, it may be recalled here, had postponed the elections against the four vacant seats of the AJK council in the wake of the devastating earthquake. The elections were earlier scheduled for Oct 27.

However, the decision had not gone well with the AJK government which had persistently called upon the election commission to hold the council elections to meet the constitutional requirement.

“If the elections are not being held because of the candidature of my son and my brother then I announce their withdrawal,” the prime minister said in his hard-hitting speech.

According to him, non-holding of the council elections was usurpation of the right to vote of the AJK assembly members and had no authorization in the constitution.

The premier feared that the cancellation of the AJK council elections could lay the basis for cancellation of the AJK general elections — due in July next year.

He was also critical of the allocation of huge develop-ment funds by the AJK Council without meeting any criteria.

“Is it not ironical that those who are elected directly (AJK assembly members) do not have any funds at their disposal, whereas those who are elected indirectly (AJK council members) by the votes of assembly members enjoy hefty financial allocations?”

Coming to other issues, the prime minister praised the Pakistan army for its services in relief and rehabilitation activities.

He claimed that Islamabad wanted the AJK government to takeover relief work “but we refused to do it without the army’s involvement”.

The prime minister rejected allegations that the AJK government had failed to meet its responsibilities in the wake of the quake, asserting that the government had rather delivered beyond its capacity.

The prime minister announced waiving of fees in all government educational institutions in the affected areas.

Regarding the issue of mobile companies, he said the AJK government would allow all those companies interested in launching their services in this region.

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