MUZAFFARABAD:Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani while rejecting any possible curtailment of AJK’s powers has said that there shall be no curtailment of powers devolved to the assembly under the 13th Constitutional Amendment.
Addressing the office-bearers of the AJK Bar Council and Bar Associations, Prime Minister Gillani said that a baseless propaganda was being made regarding a change in the status of the region.
He regretted that chaos was being spread in the state through this false and fabricated propaganda despite the fact that the two districts still have no representation in the Legislative Assembly.Terming amendments to constitutional provisions as an evolutionary process, he said that 14th and 15th Amendments were brought to the House following the 13th amendment as part of this continued process.
“Law is an evolutionary process and amendments are made for public welfare,” he said, adding that any amendment in the public interest could be presented and deliberated on the floor of the House. He said that dialogue is a civilized way of listening to each other’s point of view. The prime minister said it is the responsibility of every conscious citizen to think about how to take the state forward. “The world has moved forward rapidly during the past two and a half decades.
It is high time that, rather than wasting time on trivial issues, we talk about the problems of the common man and give concrete suggestions for improving the overall system,” he said. Highlighting his government’s priorities, he said, “Restoring the trust of the common citizen in state institutions is the priority of the government.” Stressing the need to make the Law Commission functional, the Prime Minister said that 90 percent of problems can be solved by providing timely justice.
On this occasion, the AJK prime minister announced that land would be provided to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Bar Council for housing. He also announced that the Lawyers Protection Act would be presented in the next cabinet meeting.
