AJK PM walks through the tulip garden. — Photo by the writer
AJK PM walks through the tulip garden. — Photo by the writer

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on Friday inaugurated a small-scale tulip garden here on Friday, which he said had been established to express solidarity with the people of India Held Kashmir.

Accompanied by cabinet members and senior government officials, the prime minister cut the ribbon and released balloons in the air to throw “Kashmir Solidarity Tulip Garden” open for visitors.

Spread over a two-kanal portion of Jalalabad Garden, the tulip garden was developed by the AJK agriculture department on the suggestion of Javed Ahmed Shah, a renowned floriculture expert from occupied Kashmir who had visited AJK in 2018.

Mr Shah was also present at the inaugural ceremony along with his spouse.

He was in Delhi in connection with treatment of her relative when he was officially invited by the AJK government on the direction of Prime Minister Haider to attend the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister appreciated the agriculture department for realizing the project with cent percent success rate and gave them go ahead to work for the development of other identified sites as bigger tulip gardens.

“Whenever I look at tulips I am reminded of Srinagar,” said Mr Haider, referring to the Asia’s largest tulip garden on the outskirts of occupied Kashmir’s summer capital that draws millions of tourists every year.

“While we have soaked these flowerbeds with water, the redness of flowers across the divide is because of the blood my sons and daughters are shedding there for freedom,” he said.

Director Horticulture Khawaja Khurshid Lone informed the audience that as many as 20,000 bulbs of 11 different colours, imported from Holland, were planted in 26 beds.

Preparation of soil was initiated in August last year while plantation of bulbs was done in the second week of December, he said, adding, blooming had begun in first week of the instant month.

Agriculture Department Director General Dr Mohammad Bashir Butt said his team remained in touch with Javed Ahmed Shah in Srinagar in this regard but the contact was cut off after communication blockade in occupied Kashmir.

It was in the meanwhile that Ms Noshin Sarfraz, president of the Amateur Gardening Club of Lahore, turned out to be of immense help to successfully carry forward this project, he added.

Ms Sarfraz, who had travelled all the way from Lahore to attend the inaugural ceremony, told Dawn that she was happy to see a beautiful tulip garden having emerged in the liberated part of Kashmir.

“In fact it’s the brainchild of Javed Shah sahib. And to me, this is the best way to express solidarity,” she said.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Shah said: “What we had envisaged in 2018 has seen realization within two years… It’s not just about the beautification or recreation, it will have far reaching effect on the overall economy of this territory,” he said.

“I am really excited to be here today. This garden is exactly like the way I had expected it to be,” Mr Shah said.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2020

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