MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet on Wednesday approved tourism policy and constituted a ministerial committee to ensure full exploitation of region’s rich potential in this sector.

The cabinet meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider.

According to a press release, the cabinet approved a proposal to develop Mangla lake as a full-fledged tourist resort.

Minister for Tourism Mushtaq Minhas, Minister for Sports, Youth and Culture Chaudhry Mohammad Saeed, Minister for Hydropower Generation Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed and senior member Board of Revenue Fayyaz Ali Abbasi were assigned the task of submitting a comprehensive report to the cabinet within two weeks for full exploitation of AJK’s rich potential in tourism sector.

The cabinet also formed another committee with senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq to settle issues with the federal government with regard to Mangla upraising project, Neelum Jhelum and other hydropower projects.

An already constituted committee under Minister for Communication and Works Chaudhry Mohammad Aziz for provision of basic amenities to the people living along the Line of Control (LoC), including improvement and rehabilitation of infrastructure, was empowered by the cabinet to execute official policy in this regard.

The cabinet expressed its gratitude to the federal government for sanctioning Rs3 billion scheme to meet some basic requirement of the residents along the LoC.

It particularly thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for convening and chairing a high-level meeting for resolution of hydropower and environment-related issues of the AJK government and directing all concerned federal ministries and divisions to extend complete cooperation to the AJK government in this regard.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2019