MUZAFFARABAD, July 2: The Special Communication Organization (SCO) will spend Rs2 billion provided by the federal government on different telecom development projects in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the current financial year, an official said here on Saturday. The SCO’s sector commander, Col Khurshid Zafar Zaidi, told a briefing that the allocation for his organization was higher than every AJK department in the current budget.

It was not an easy task getting allocated such a huge amount but it became possible due to the special importance Islamabad attached to this region and the coordination of the AJK government, particularly Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat, with the SCO and the federal government, said Col Zaidi, whose organization is a subsidiary of the Pakistan army.

He said laying of a 266kilometre optical fibre cable under the previous year’s development programme was nearing completion whereas another 466kilometres would be laid in the current year.

In view of the trans-Kashmir bus service, the SCO had established two latest digital exchanges, with 800 lines in Chinari and Chakothi within a record period of three weeks to provide international direct dialling, fax and internet facilities along the Line of Control, he said.

Replying to a question, he said the SCO had planned installation and commissioning of eight digital exchanges in Neelum and Leepa valleys with the help of optical fibre cable and satellite system in the ongoing financial year.

The organization was also trying to introduce calling-card facilities in the AJK besides a wireless local loop service, he added.

He also told a questioner that the total revenue generated by the SCO from AJK in 2004-05 was Rs900 million, including 15 per cent central excise duty and income tax which was later transferred to the AJK government and AJK council respectively.

Against this income, the SCO had spent Rs1.6 billion on its developmental activities in the previous year, he said.

The sector commander also said that the SCO would shortly commission its own international gateway to avoid any problems arising out of its dependence on the PTCL in this regard.