IN the backdrop of recent violent protests against electricity bills and price of wheat, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid a day-long visit to Azad Jammu and Kashmir where he announced the commitment of his Government to resolve issues facing Kashmiris on a permanent basis. He assured implementation of the understanding reached with Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee and said Rs 23 billion have already been released to extend subsidies to the people of AJK in respect of electricity and wheat.
There is no doubt that the government proceeded with speed to accept demands of the protestors and now the Prime Minister has pledged to send a team of relevant federal ministers to the territory to find a permanent solution to the issues facing AJK people. The AJK being the base camp of the legitimate freedom movement of Kashmir people, it is appreciable that the government is taking necessary interest to ensure peaceful conditions in the territory. However, besides acceptance of the demand and sorting out the rest of the issues and demands, a thorough inquiry should also be conducted to pinpoint responsibility for violence leading to killing of a police officer and three people. This assumes relevance in the backdrop of a statement of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi who said that evidence suggests a foreign hand was involved in the tensions in AJK and that a neighbouring country was involved. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister instructed the relevant authorities to immediately complete the construction of a bridge for the Mangla Phase-2 project. Regarding the Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant, he said the Federal Secretary Water and Power and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam would discuss the matter with the Kashmiri leadership to formulate short, medium and long-term solutions. Resolution of the problems of Kashmiri people and consideration of their demands vis-à-vis water charges and Neelum-Jhelum project are steps in the right direction but more important is the recurring faults in the hydro-power project, which is, once again, closed for power generation, causing another blow to the efforts of the country to produce cheaper hydel power and increase its share in the national energy mix. There is something fundamentally wrong with the design and construction of the project and the situation demands an impartial inquiry by international experts of repute. Recommendations of these experts should also be sought for future course of action as the country cannot afford frequent shut downs and wastage of money, time and energy due to recurring faults.
