MUZAFFARABAD, March 20: The government of Pakistan has reversed its decision to slash the ongoing year’s development budget of Azad Jammu and Kashmir by Rs400 million.

This was conveyed to the AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan by Mr Shaukat Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance, in a telephonic conversation on Thursday.

An official spokesman told reporters here that Mr Aziz also informed the AJK premier that the federal government would shortly release an additional amount of Rs300 million for the people affected by Indian shelling from across the Line of Control in Azad Kashmir.

The federal government had told the Azad Kashmir last month that it would impose a cut on the latter’s development budget to the tune of Rs400 million.

The size of the Azad Kashmir’s development budget for the ongoing fiscal year is Rs3300 million, including a foreign aid component of Rs412.600 million.

The issue was taken up by the AJK premier with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali at a recent meeting in Islamabad and was assured that the decision would be withdrawn.