Bridging Gaps: AJK PM, Gilgit Baltistan CM inaugurate direct Muzaffarabad-Gilgit Bus Service :

Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (Parliament Times): Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Thursday achieved a major breakthrough bridging gaps through resumption of direct ground links on the historic day of Pakistan Day after the AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan and the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Barrister Khalid Khurshid inaugurated launching of the Gilgit-Muzaffarabad Bus Service in AJK State metropolis.

Gilgit-Muzaffarabad bus service has been started by the joint efforts of the governments of the two units of the Kashmir region following the vision of Prime Minister Azad Jammu Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan and Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Barrister Khalid Khurshid, which will restore historical relations and harmony between the people of the two regions. Cultural, social, regional linkages, industry, and tourism will be boosted, it was told at the bus service launching ceremony.

The inauguration ceremony was held at New Prime Minister House in the State capital city of Muzaffarabad. Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Barrister Khalid Khurshid was the chief guest of the ceremony. Gilgit-Baltistan Interior Minister, Shams ul Haq, Azad Kashmir Government Ministers Ali Shan Soni, Chaudhry Muhammad Akbar Ibrahim, Chaudhry Maqbool Gujjar, Akmal Hussain Sargala, Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Javed Butt, Azad Jammu Kashmir Government Spokesperson Professor Taqdees Gilani, Parliamentary Secretary Asim Sharif Butt and Chairman Prime Minister Inspection and Implementation Commission Pir Mazhar Saeed including government secretaries, government officials, lawyers and a large number of civil society participated.

In the opening ceremony, the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan presented Gilgit-Baltistan Karvaati Jabba and Cap to Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, while the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir also presented gifts to the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. Addressing the opening ceremony, Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan said that today was a very important day for the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent when the Pakistan Resolution was passed this day of March 23 in 1940 and this day was also for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. It was historic that the two regions were going to be restored yesterday.

The journey of restoration of connectivity that we started yesterday will continue, the path that we opened had a lot of potentials. After Eid, they will start a tourism bus service from all major cities of Pakistan in Azad Kashmir, which will promote tourism here.

Pakistan is the center of hope for the oppressed classes of the world and the will of God. On the other side of the Line of Control, the Kashmiri people are making sacrifices for the completion of Pakistan.

He said “No one can defeat the determination of this nation, who raise their children to become Khalid Bin Waleed. India is not aware of our history. India can conquer the world in movies, but they should remember that when Muslims go to Spain, they burn the boats, if India does not stop, we will do the same, which was the history of Muslims”.

The Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir said, “the journey between Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir that we started yesterday, we hope that future generations will continue it, and in the future, both regions will benefit from each other’s experiences and potential”. Gilgit-Baltistan will help be helped in the fields of communication, agriculture, design, and housing, while the government of Azad Kashmir will benefit from the sectors in which Gilgit-Baltistan is ahead. Gilgit-Baltistan will establish a medical university together with the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while the Azad Jammu and Kashmir governments will support the government of Gilgit-Baltistan for the establishment of an engineering college.

He said that any person from Gilgit-Baltistan who will come to Azad Kashmir will get a 35% discount on purchases and a 25% discount on rent. The scope of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Bank will be extended to Gilgit-Baltistan while the cooperative bank of Gilgit-Baltistan will be brought to Azad Kashmir. Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan said that the quota of Gilgit-Baltistan will be increased in universities and other educational institutions of Azad Kashmir. He suggested that in the future the officers of both regions should go on posting from one region to the other. Azad Kashmir’s Prime Minister said that Yak was found only in Gilgit-Baltistan and will farms it in the upper areas of Azad Kashmir. The Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir said that the governments of both regions would create a special economic zone together.
The fruits produced in Gilgit-Baltistan would be marketed in a better way. He said that the government of Azad Kashmir will also invest in the Gilgit-Baltistan transport company Natco and it will be a joint company of both regions. Both governments will set up committees to promote connectivity and partnership between the two regions, which will submit reports soon.
The Prime Minister directed the Transport Department of Azad Kashmir to prepare an annual calendar and provide free travel facilities to those traveling from Gilgit to Muzaffarabad and Muzaffarabad to Gilgit on Long Weekends. Addressing the ceremony, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Barrister Khalid Khurshid said that yesterday was Pakistan Day and a historic day when bus service will be started to connect the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir that will benefit, these measures will reduce the distance between hearts and promote harmony between the two regions, the people of Azad Kashmir will come to Gilgit-Baltistan, the government will provide them all the facilities.

He said that he belonged to the nearby area of ??Shuntar,( PC 1) and is ready regarding the Ruto Shunter tunnel, whenever the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government will come to the federal government, work on this tunnel will start.

This tunnel is also important from the point of view of defense. The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan said that the passengers who will go to Gilgit from Muzaffarabad yesterday will be received by the Chief Secretary and his Principal Secretary in Gilgit. Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan said that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan made sacrifices for the establishment of Pakistan and stood for Pakistan.

Talking about the Northern Areas Transport Company, he said that it was their proud institution. The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan highly appreciated the personality and actions of Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan.

Addressing the ceremony, Parliamentary Secretary Transport Azad Kashmir Javed Butt paid tribute to Prime Minister Azad Kashmir and Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan for the launch of the Gilgit-Muzaffarabad bus service. Secretary Transport Authority said on this occasion that all arrangements had been made by Transport Authority regarding the Gilgit-Muzaffarabad bus service. The launch of this bus service will strengthen the ties between the two regions and promote culture, and mutual harmony.