Our correspondent;
MUZAFFARABAD: In a major move, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has taken a number of measures to protect civil population residing along the Line of Control from Indian shelling.
The special cabinet committee of the AJK government submitted a report to the cabinet recommending to setup first aid posts along the LoC, provide doctors, paramedics and medicines to the existing basic health units located near the LoC, provision of timber on subsidized rates to rebuild the houses damaged by the Indian shelling, extension of mobile phone services up to the LoC, extension of 1122 Service up to affected areas, waving of arms license fee and setting up village defence committees.
The special committee of the cabinet headed by Minister for Works and Communication, Chaudhry Muhammad Aziz and comprising Minister for Revenue, Sardar Farooq Sikandar and Senior Member Board of Revenue, Fayyaz Ali Abbasi prepared the report and submitted it to the cabinet.
The Cabinet after threadbare review of the report unanimously approved it and decided that government will provide Rs one million as compensation to the families of martyred, Rs 0.8 million to each disabled person and Rs 0.3 million to those critically injured.
The affected families will also be provided financial help for rebuilding of their damaged houses, destroyed businesses and moveable and immoveable properties.
It was decided to provide required budget to the district administration for swift and immediate help to the victims of Indian shelling. The medical board will also be constituted at district and tehsil headquarters hospital to asses and recommend expenses for the medical treatment of those injured by the Indian shelling.
“First Aid Medical Posts will be set up close to LoC where doctors and paramedics would be available round the clock, while mobile ambulance would also available in the areas located 15 to 20 kilometers short of LoC,” the report stated.
“A fleet of ambulances from other districts will be dispatched to firing affected areas with required budget till new ambulances are purchased,” the cabinet decided.
It was further decided that availability of surgeons, gynecologist, anesthetists and specialists will be made sure to meet any eventuality, while vacant posts of doctors and allied staff will be filled up on urgent basis in the tehsil hospitals, basic health units in all the districts contiguous to the Line of Control.
The doctors serving along the LoC would be offered special salary package. It was also decided that all the areas vulnerable to cross border shelling will be exempted from load shedding and electricity will be available to the people round the clock.
The committee also recommended that Commissioners and DIGs of police will visit the Indian shelling affected areas once in a month while DCs, SPs and District Health Officers would visit twice in a month.
The cabinet also decided to constitute another committee to be headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Development) to include the projects relating to LoC in the Annual Development Program (ADP) for 2018-19 and to take necessary steps for amendments in the relevant laws for provision unhindered relief to affected population.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan termed the civilian population residing along the Line of Control as first defence line of Pakistan. He said that brave people living at LoC were defending the mother land along with the armed forces of the country.
“Forcing civilian population to dislodge is military strategy of India and this was very reason that Indian army is targeting unarmed civilian,” Khan said. He went on to say that Indian nefarious designs will never be allowed to materialize.
