MUZAFFARABAD, June 25: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council plans to establish a training institute for the AJK Income Tax Department’s non-gazetted employees in a remote southern district of Azad Kashmir.

Sources said that the former IT Commissioner Sardar Rafique Khan had initiated the move to set up the AJK Council Employees Training Institute in his hometown Palandari more than a year ago. But it could not be implemented due to opposition by some AJK Council members as well as some officers of the IT department who were of the view that the institute was being constructed in a remote area.

However, the plan was vigorously revived with some highly placed civil and military officials belonging to Palandari using their influence, overlooking the fact that the town was an unsuitable place for establishing such an institute, the sources said.

The AJK Accountant General’s office was also asked to nominate its employees for training from the proposed institute, but the AG refused the offer maintaining that he would prefer to train his staff in Pakistan, the sources said.

The initial estimated cost of institute building was Rs100 million and tendering for construction was shortly to be done through press, the sources added.

Millions of rupees would also be required annually to run the institute, the sources said.

“You cannot establish an institute for a badge of 10 trainees in one session,” a senior government official said.