Altaf Hamid Rao,
MIRPUR (AJK): Former AJK Prime Minister and PTI (AJK Chapter) Chief Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry Thursday filed a writ petition in Azad Jammu Kashmir High Court seeking grant of the right of overseas Kashmiris settled in various parts of the world mostly in Europe, Middle East and the Arabian countries.
Sultan filed the writ petition in the AJK HC during ongoing visit of the court in Mirpur on Thursday through his Counsel Chaudhry Khalid Rasheed Advocate. He has made Azad government of the State of Jammu & Kashmir, AJK Election Commission as well as Law and Finance department of the state government as party into the case.
Through the petition, Barrister Sultan Mahmood prayed that since the overseas Pakistanis settled in various countries have so far been granted the right of vote to exercise their right of franchise in the general elections in their home country (Pakistan), the overseas Kashmiris belonging to Azad Jammu Kashmir as well as hailing from the Pakistan-based Jammu Kashmir refugee quarters, should be granted the right of vote to exercise this right in the elections to Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly besides the civic polls, whenever they are held according to the stipulated time frame.
The petitioner also prayed the learned court to order the concerned parties including the AJK government, the AJK election commission as well as the related government functionaries including law and finance departments of the state government to manage requisite arrangements granting the right of franchise to the Kashmiri expatriates.
Later addressing senior journalists at the PWD Rest House here Thursday evening, Barrister Sultan Mahmood said that about two million overseas Kashmiris, including one million only in United Kingdom and rest of the same number were living in various other parts of the world. He said that these expatriates hailing from AJK and Pakistan-based Jammu Kashmir refugee circles have no right to cast their vote in all types of AJK elections especially the general elections to the State Legislative Assembly which are held after every five years under the interim constitution of the land.
Sultan asserted that the overseas Kashmiris have their exceptional significance vis a vis the national Kashmir case – since the Kashmiris expatriates, mostly those settled in United Kingdom hailing from Mirpur division of AJK, were performing pivotal role in highlighting Kashmir question abroad in most effective manner to attract the world of the significance of early peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue. “In view of said exceptional importance of the Kashmiri expatriates and primarily being the citizens of Azad Jammu Kashmir, we have taken the said legal step knocking the door of the judiciary with request for the grant of right of vote to the overseas Kashmiris”, he declared.
Several senior leaders of the PTI AJK including the Chief Organiser Ch. Zaffar Anwar, the chief Coordinator to the PTI AJK President Chaudhry Ansar Sarim, ex Chairman MDA Ch. Muhammad Sideeque Advocate, Ch. Muhammad Mansha, Ch. Muhammad Ayub, Hameed Pothi, Choudhry Amjad Hussain, Haji Javed Akram and others were also present on this occasion.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood revealed that the expatriates city of Mirpur will soon be air-linked with rest of the world through the construction of an International Airport in Mirpur in the near future.
Elaborating, Sultan said that he has recently taken up the matter with Prime Minister Imran Khan who, he added, has principally agreed to revive the abandoned project of the construction of the proposed Mirpur international airport, which, he underlined, was shelved by the past ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef-led PML (N) government during the PPP’s – AJK Prime Minister Ch. Majeed-led government in Azad Jammu Kashmir following the lack of interest by the above former two governments of Pakistan and AJK, he added.