AJK, POLITICS AND POLITICIANS

By

AQEEL BUTT (LUTON UK)

10 June 2011

Firstly, the ‘sovereign’ country of ‘Azad’ Jammu & Kashmir is run by its foreign masters. Secondly, in terms of credibility, so called AJK politicians are so week and powerless that a simple Pakistani minister of Kashmir Affairs is capable of turning the whole AJK government upside down. The upcoming gener......al elections is another episode of the same old political and power gain drama fantasised by the foolish, fooling and fooled politicians of tiny and confused state of AJK.

In the past 63 years our selfish and corrupt politicians completely failed to establish even a single reputable institution in their so called AJK acquiring about 4000 square miles. Can you think of any reputable and internationally recognised school, college, university, hospital or any other institution in AJK? Till today, we could not even start our own national radio station forget TV station. After 63 years, there is no industry in AJK at all apart from a nominal presence in Mirpur district only. It is very shameful that we have a good size dam called Mangla Dam, but we purchase our electricity from Pakistan owned WAPDA on very expensive rates with absolutely no subsidy. We produce the thermohydral electricity with our water resources and then gift it along with precious waters of River Jhelum and Punch to Pakistan for almost free hence we import almost every commodity including food from Pakistan. That is why our cost of living in AJK is 10-15% more than the people of Pakistan. Similarly, our job prospects are almost NIL in AJK, whereas there is a big influx of our youth to Pakistan as well as Middle East, Europe, UK and beyond in search of jobs and prosperity. We need not to blame others but our own leadership have always treacherously traded their principles with their foreign masters in return of Mazafarabad based corrupt and ‘kathputli’ governance. Surprisingly, the leadership of Indian Occupied Kashmir did no different.

Similarly, can you count any top level bureaucrat, army, air force or navy commander from AJK background in the history of Pakistan? The list of our 'achievements' goes on, however, on contrary our AJK politicians are still pleading ignorance and are busy fooling their own public, wasting their precious resources and dividing them further into bratheries. Unfortunately, this is the kind of tailored democracy we have inherited in AJK.

These days, the politicians are busy playing political music chair game whereas the public is busy celebrating the 'election festival' but hardly anyone cares and speaks up about the real issues the people of AJK face in their day to day life.

To tackle with the above problems and to compete with the technological advanced and civilised world of the twenty first century a complete overhauling is desperately required. I believe, only highly educated youth of AJK can bring a change in the society if given a sincere leadership. I am not sure, if our youth is ready to bring a change and have such leadership available to guide them.
(Writer is member PFP)