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| February 11, 2007 | Sunday | Muharram 22, 1428 |
Attique offers gas to held Kashmir
ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Saturday offered to provide gas and electricity to the people of Occupied Kashmir via Sialkott and Chakothi.
Speaking at a press conference here Saturday, he urged India to positively respond to the offer as part of confidence-building measures. He also invited investors from the Indian-held Kashmir to invest in Pakistan and promised to provide all possible facilities to them.
He said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had ordered a survey for provision of natural gas to Kotli, Rawalakot and Bagh districts in addition to Muzaffarabad and Mirpur.
He said the government was ready to pass the gas on to Kashmiris living on the other side of the border. He said it would also be a matter of delight for his government, if around 1000 megawatt of surplus electricity to be generated by Neelum-Jhelum hydel power project was of use to the people of Held Kashmir.
He said around Rs25 billion would be spent for the reconstruction of Muzaffarabad.
He said China had given $ 300 million for Muzaffarabad while the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey had provided $120 million.
He said the new capital would be built on the Kohala road, about 25-minute drive from the present capital. He said a satellite town on the Jhelum Valley road to accomodate civilian population. He said land measuring 500 kanals was being procured for two temporary housing schemes to shift the people of Muzaffarabad city.
Referring to the opposition’s allegations, he said there was no restriction on freedom of expression, adding that there was no political prisoner in Azad Kashmir. He said the opposition was free to exercise one of the two options -- constructive criticism or opposition for the sake of opposition.
He said the members of the opposition get as much development funds as ruling party members without any discrimination.
The AJK prime minister rejected Emma Nicholson report on Kashmir and termed it baseless, lopsided and prejudiced.
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