ISLAMABAD: A National Assembly's panel on Tuesday summoned chief secretary, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and managing director, National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK), in the next meeting to brief the committee on the ongoing projects in the AJK.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan met with Syed Imran Ahmed Shah in the chair to discuss the ongoing projects under the public sector development programme (PSDP) in the AJK.
During the course of discussion on construction of Rathoa-Haryam bridge in Mirpur District of AJK, the committee was informed by senior officials of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan that about 75 percent physical progress of the project has been completed, while the remaining 25 percent work was lying in waiting due to an unwanted tug of war among the Government of AJK, NESPAK (Consultant) and the contractor, a Chinese company.
The committee decided to summon the chief secretary, AJK, and the managing director, NESPAK, in the next meeting to have detailed briefing on the issue.
Regarding the status of approved PSDP projects in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan undertaken during last three years, the committee was informed that a considerable number of development schemes worth billions of rupees were carried out under the PSDP in the AJK and the GB.
Apart from that seven special development projects worth billions of rupees will also be undertaken by the federal government under the prime minister's package in various parts of the GB.
The committee decided to visit the AJK and the GB in order to oversee the on-ground physical progress of these projects.
Earlier, the committee offered fateha for the departed souls of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Gillani, nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, PML-N MNA Pervaiz Malik, former AJK president and prime minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan and those who lost their lives during the recent earthquake in Balochistan.
The meeting was attended by Saleem Rehman, Mehboob Shah, Mohammad Bashir Khan, Mohammad Yaqoob Sheikh, Niaz Ahmed Jakhar, Jamshed Thomas, Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar, and Shamim Ara Panhwar, besides the senior officers of the concerned ministry and departments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021