September 05, 2007	Wednesday	Sha'aban 22, 1428

MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 4: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir cabinet on Tuesday approved the establishment of a private medical university, a women’s public university and an airline in public-private partnership.

Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan chaired the meeting and formed a permanent committee, headed by law minister Abdul Rashid Abbasi, to recommend awards for people who had achieved eminence in different fields. The awards would be given each year on the AJK government’s foundation day on Oct 24, an official handout said.

According to the AJK’s interim constitution, laws on “aircraft, navigation, provision of aerodromes, regulation and organisation of air traffic” was in the domain of the AJK council and not the government. The council is called the upper house of the AJK legislature.

A source quoted Sardar Attique as having said at the meeting since the Srinagar airport in Indian-held Kashmir would shortly become an international airfield, he wanted the AJK to be on a par with it.

The cabinet expressed satisfaction over the law and order situation and approved the appointments of additional superintendents of police in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur to look after security-related issues. It decided to provide all resources to police in this regard on priority basis.

The prime minister took strong exception to frequent road accidents in the area and directed the minister for transport to take stringent measures to ensure road worthiness of public transport vehicles. The cabinet directed the authorities concerned to computerise its inspection system and take strict legal actions against unregistered, stolen or suspicious vehicles.

The stolen or unregistered vehicles should be confiscated and auctioned and the amount thus generated should be spent on the welfare of police, the premier was quoted as saying.

The cabinet approved the post-promulgation order of the Disaster Management Authority Ordinance, 2007, and decided to make it an act of assembly. Under the ordinance promulgated in May, a disaster management commission and committees would be constituted at the central and district level to cope with climactic situations.

District level committees, with ministers as heads, were formed to collect data meeting the requirements of areas and constituencies “that had been discriminated against in the past.” Finance Minister Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan was asked to present a comprehensive report so that appropriate funds could be allocated for such areas.