MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Friday upgraded Garhi Dupatta to the status of a tehsil, fulfilling what he described as a longstanding demand of local residents.

Addressing a public gathering in Garhi Dupatta at the invitation of his special assistant Mubashir Munir Awan, the prime minister said the Pakistan Peoples Party government had fulfilled within six months the promises it had made to the people.

Garhi Dupatta is a sprawling town situated about 25 kilometres south of Muzaffarabad on both banks of the Jhelum River.

“Today, I have not come merely to announce the upgradation of Garhi Dupatta to a tehsil, but to hand over the notification after its formal implementation. I congratulate you on this achievement,” Mr Rathore said.

He said the PPP was the only public-oriented political party that spoke for the rights of ordinary people.

Referring to Mr Awan, he said: “Mubashir Munir Awan is a future MLA. God willing, the PPP era is returning and the process of public welfare and development will continue in the same spirit.”

Earlier, the prime minister received a rousing welcome upon his arrival in Garhi Dupatta bazaar, where flower petals were showered on him and the area echoed with slogans of “Jiye Bhutto”.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Awan thanked the prime minister and said the longstanding dream of the people of Garhi Dupatta had finally been realised.

“This decision of the government will directly benefit the people,” he said, adding that former prime minister Mumtaz Hussain Rathore had also played a major role in the development of Garhi Dupatta during his tenure.

Later, the prime minister visited Mr Awan’s residence to offer condolences and Fateha on the death of his uncle, Mohammad Yousuf Awan. Health Minister Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi, government adviser Ahmed Sagheer, prime minister’s spokesperson Shaukat Javed Mir and others also accompanied him.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026