Altaf Hamid Rao.
AJK Protest
MIRPUR (AJK) ( Parliament Times): Various parts of Azad Jammu Kashmir Thursday echoed with mass protest rallies against inflated electricity bills amidst partial shutter down and wheel jam strike against the increase in electricity prices and the sky-high prices of the commodities of daily use especially the non-availability of flour at official rates.
In Mirpur, in response to the call of various segments of the civil society especially the Mirpur Awami Action Committee, the movement against the AJK administration had been launched over two months ago, for not providing due relief in electricity bills – which the AJK government asserted that due relief had been given in the power bills in form of lifting of the undue taxes. AJK people have rejected this relief demanding free supply of electricity for AJK being one of the main regions contributing over 3000 megawatt of hydelpower to the national grid. AJK needs only 400 megawatt of electricity to meet its full demand in entire liberated territory.
There was a strike against expensive electricity and taxes in all ten districts of Azad Jammu Kashmir including Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimbher, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Palandri, Haveili, Bagh, Jhelum and Neelam vallies district. Thousands of protesters took out protest rallies and sit-ins in several cities across Azad Jammu Kashmir. All major and minor roads across the state remain partially closed. However the life fully returned to normal in afternoon as private and public transport resumed on intercity and inter-district routes as routine.
Thousands of people mostly power consumers raised slogans against the AJK government for over luxurious life style through exceptional misuse of the national exchequer through alleged corrupt means mostly by the top bureaucracy, the policy makers and their aides in the state functionaries enjoying on the tax money of the citizens of this extremely under developing territory of AJK. Speakers on this occasion announced to continue the protest until the demands were met.
Major Mirpur rally later turned into a mammoth protest congregation at central protested Shaheed Chowk. Almost all segments of the civil society led by local lawyers participated in the strike.
According to reports reaching from various parts of AJK, 5 large number of the power consumers staged protest demonstrations holding rallies against WAPDA and the State electricity department to express their extreme indication against the frequent price hike of the electricity.
The demonstrations were arranged jointly by all classes of the civil society. Speakers declared to adopt more stringent course of action to get their demands acceded to by the authorities.
