Bhimber, AJK (Parliament Times) :The Kashmir Freedom Movement (KFM) has sounded the alarm on Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) electricity crisis and delivered an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Ch Anwar ul Haq, calling for immediate action.
In a searing letter on Monday KFM President Engr. Afzal Ziai urged the Prime Minister to confront the dire electricity crisis gripping AJK, which has left its 4.319 million citizens reeling under the weight of skyrocketing bills and financial hardship.
KFM’s call to action coincides with the relentless protests orchestrated by Awami Action Committees, igniting from Rawalakot in May 2023 and rapidly engulfing AJK. These impassioned demonstrations epitomize the citizens’ demands for ownership, equitable pricing, and transparency within the electricity sector.
KFM’s impassioned appeal places the following demands squarely at the Prime Minister’s Office:
1. Emergency Legislative Assembly Session: KFM implores the immediate convening of a special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly, enabling elected representatives to dissect the root causes of the electricity crisis and engineer resolutions that harmonize with the people’s aspirations.
2. Listen to the Roaring Streets: KFM champions the protesters’ causes, accentuating their call for fair pricing, profit-sharing, and local regulatory independence.
3. Electricity Transparency & Accountability: KFM vehemently demands the obliteration of unlawful and unjust charges from electricity bills and the abolition of agreements engineered to hike electricity tariffs, ensuring transparency and accountability.
4. Executing the KDF Blueprint: KFM underscores the significance of implementing recommendations from the Kashmir Development Foundation’s “KDF Briefing Paper- Expensive Electricity Crisis in Azad Jammu and Kashmir: Understanding the Key Issues and Demands” on behalf of JKGB Dialogue Forum to resuscitate the electricity sector.
KFM’s fervent plea emanates from a fundamental premise – the people of AJK are not beggars but rightful owners of their natural wealth and resources, particularly in electricity generation. They insist on accessible electricity that mirrors this ownership.
KFM’s clarion call is for action now, to ease the torment endured by AJK citizens and pave the way for a brighter, more prosperous future.
KFM eagerly awaits Prime Minister Ch Anwar ul Haq’s response, underlining the urgent nature of this matter and its grave consequences for AJK residents.