MUZAFFARABAD: Ruling PTI and opposition PPP and PML-N on Monday joined hands in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly to table and later refer a private member’s bill seeking increase in salaries, perks and privileges of MLAs to a special committee of the house amid a lone dissenting voice from the single-member Jammu Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP).

The bill,  AJK Assembly (Salaries, Allowance, Privileges and Pension of the Members) Act, 2022, was introduced in the house by PML-N legislator Waqar Ahmed Noor.

The house referred the bill to a ‘special house committee’ headed by Law Minister Faheem Akhtar Rabbani and comprising cabinet members Abdul Majid Khan, Deevan Ali Chughtai and Azhar Sadiq from the treasury benches and Mr Noor, Ahmed Raza Qadri and Mian Abdul Waheed from the opposition.

While many lawmakers from both sides justified the bill saying the emoluments of legislators were scant and needed a reasonable increase, JKPP chief Sardar Hassan Ibrahim voiced his dissent, by maintaining that at a time when many institutions in AJK were not functioning due to lack of resources, such bills were tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of the marginalized segments of society.

Mr Ibrahim also referred to a letter by Syed Nazir Gillani, the head of London based Jammu Kashmir Council for Human Rights, to the Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas and some other AJK leaders, wherein he had pointed out that the AJK governments had long been avoiding the appointment against the constitutional post of ‘Plebiscite Adviser’ while citing alleged paucity of funds.

“It seems the AJK assembly has sidestepped its real function. We are increasing our personal perks and privileges despite the fact that the leadership is supposed to sacrifice its fiscal benefits [at state expense],” Mr Ibrahim said, adding, his party could not be part of this increase.

Later, the opposition lawmakers read out their resolutions wherein they condemned the unilateral trial and false conviction of JKLF chief Yasin Malik. They also condemned unending atrocities in occupied Kashmir.

Interestingly, when PPP regional president Chaudhry Yasin was delivering his speech, PTI’s Deevan Ghulam Mohiuddin who was presiding over the session at that time, abruptly prorogued the session till next Monday.

Mr Yasin had taken strong exception to PTI chairman Imran Khan for announcing his “azadi march” on a day (May 25) when the Indian court was due to announce its judgment against the JKLF chief.

Published in Dawn,May 24th, 2022