MUZAFFARABAD: The federal secretary finance Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh assured a five-member team of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government that despite the stressful financial situation in the country, the federal government would help AJK reduce its financial deficit.

This was stated by AJK’s secretary information Ansar Yaqoob while talking to Dawn on Saturday,

He said the team of the AJK government held a meeting with federal finance secretary to discuss financial difficulties faced by Muzaffarabad in the wake of alleged budget cuts by the central government.

The team, which comprised three AJK cabinet members and two senior bureaucrats, apprised federal secretary and other senior officials that at the time of presentation of AJK budget for the current fiscal year, the finance ministry had assured the AJK government of meeting the latter’s deficit in the recurring budget due to increase in employees salaries and pensions and grant of wheat flour subsidy.

However, the AJK team regretted the assurance had not been fulfilled, which had consequently multiplied the fiscal woes of the AJK government.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2023