MIRPUR: (Parliament Times) Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsen Iqbal said here that Azad Jammu and Kashmir will equally enjoy the fruits of the gigantic project of mass socio-economic development – the CPEC at par with Pakistan.
He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the newly-launched FM channel ‘Soutul Quran’ in the building of Azad Kashmir Radio Mirpur Thursday night. Senator Ch. Jaffer Iqbal, Sr. Vice President PML (N) Punjab and former Deputy Speaker National Assembly, Ch. Muhammad Saeed, AJK minister for Sports, Youth & Culture, Director Engineering Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, and Muhammad Shakeel Station Director also addressed the ceremony.
The ceremony was largely attended by the city elite including Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Habib ur Rehman – Sitara e Imtiaz, Registrar MUST Engr. Prof. Muhammad Waris Jiraal, ex Chairman MDA Ch. Muhammad, senior Kashmiri journalist Altaf Hamid Rao, President Markazi Anjuman e Tajraan Raja Khalid Mahmood and Nawaz Rattayal, lawyers, academicians, journalists and serving and retired officials and artists of AK Radio Mirpur.The federal minister continued that the upcoming grand portion of the CPEC containing Manshera-Muzaffarabad-Mirpur / Mangla highway will usher in the new era of speedy economic progress and prosperity in Azad Jammu Kashmir through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor – since AJK has formally been added in the mega nation-wide project.
Appreciating the launching of Sout ul Quran channel in the studios of AK Radio Mirpur primarily aimed at to disseminate the education of the Holy Quran among its listeners, Ahsen Iqbal said that AK Radio Mirpur deserves of high applause for performing a most sacred job of spreading the Quraanic education among the masses. He said that the Holy Quraan provides us the complete code of life. He said that we could get rid here and hereafter only by strictly acting upon the teachings of the Holy Quraan – which, he added taught us of loving the humanity and pardoning the opponent. “The holy Quraan, the minister said, is a great gift for us individually.
The minister said that those traveling along the CPEC route right from Hunjraab pass, the gateway to Pakistan from China, could be blessed with the transmissions of ‘Sout ul Quraan’ containing the recitation of the verses of the Holy Quraan, during entire route to their destination – since Sout ul Quraan channel was also being launched to almost all rest of the units of Pakistan Broadcasting Corportion in the country under a broad-based program, he added. Referring to the Kashmiris struggle for freedom, the federal minister said that Pakistan would deliver the voice of Kashmiris struggle for freedom of occupied Jammu & Kashmir from Indian subjugation through all possible latest means of communications including radio. He said that Azad Kashmir radio stations will be upgraded with installation of more latest equipment in order to make these medium more affective and forceful for transmitting the voice of Kashmir to the external world over.
The minister further said that Saut-ul-Quran channel has been introduced in the country to reform lives of people according to the teachings of Islam. He said we want to streamline society in accordance with the sayings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal who said teachings of Islam gives guidance for humanity in all times.
The Minister said that teachings of Islam need to be implemented in letter and spirit in collective as well as individual lives for successes both in this world and Day of Judgment. He recalled Muslims ruled over the entire world when they followed Quran and Sunnah. We need to reestablish our relation with true teachings of Islam which advocate brotherhood, love and discourage extremism in all its forms.
Ahsan Iqbal hoped the channel will prove to be the strong source to spread the message of Islam not only in Pakistan but entire world. Ahsan Iqbal said that government has launched a number of projects in hydel, communication, tourism and education sectors under CPEC. He said entire Kashmir will benefit from the projects of CPEC. He said people of Pakistan and Kashmir are closely connected. Government and people of Pakistan will continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their just right to self determination.
Referring to a demand, the minister assured to replace the existing Medium Wave transmitter with high powered transmitter. Earlier Director Engineering Muhammad Khan briefed the participants about t Sauth-ul-Quran Channel and said it will be listening in the entire country at FM 93.4. He said twenty transmitters for Saut-ul-Quran channels have been set up in different parts of the country including Mirpur while twenty more transmitters would be established up to June 2018.
AJK Minister for sports and Mangla Dam Housing Authority Chaudhary Saeed in his speech thanked the Minister and said the government of Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has launched a number of projects in the AJK. He said Prime Minister will visit AJK soon and will announce mega projects in the region.
Earlier the minister formally inaugurated the transmission of the Sout ul Qauran. The transmission of Sout ul Quraan could be listened on FM 93.4 in Mirpur, Bhimber and adjoining areas in the radius of over 50 kilometers. The Sout ul Quraan transmission comprising recitation of the verses of Holy Quran with Urdu translation will remain on air from 05.00 a.m to 12.00 (midnight) with the total duration of 11 hours and 45 minutes. Local political and social circles have warmly welcomed the advent of the religious channel for the preaching of the teachings of Islam.