Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in AJK and president PML-N (AJK –Chapter) Raja Farooq Haider Khan has said Panamagate scandal has nothing to do with AJK polls and governance is real and basic problem.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Times Farooq Haider said judiciary should take notice if corruption committed by making its decisions as base.

The elections of AJK Council should be held through show of hand, he demanded. PML-N will award tickets for AJK legislative assembly polls on merit, he remarked.

He held Imran Khan was hurling abuses on Nawaz Sharif in Azad Kashmir. He has no perception about local problems of Azad Kashmir. PTI have such people within its cadres who are known for switching over to other parties” Farooq Haider, who was former prime minister of AJK.

About Panama Leaks he said these are not going to leave any impact on AJK elections. “There is problem of governance in AJK and government lapses budget every year due to its incompetence. AJK government has obtained overdraft amounting to Rs 6 billion so far and has wasted Rs 20 billion of development funds. What a shameful it is”, he maintained.

Responding to a question that he had called members of legislative assembly prostitute he said he was not ashamed of it. “Prostitutes sit around him in assembly. Conscience trade is worse act than sex trade. If ruling party members are right and they are not playing the role of prostitute then they should get conduct the election of council through show of hand. All will come to open”, Farooq Haider said.

He underlined if PML-N is voted to power in AJK then it will endeavour to introduce amendment in Act-74. Through it the council has been made unbridled. No tenure of council has been fixed. If elections are not held for 10 years in AJK then the incumbent members will continue to rule by sitting in council, he added.

To a question he said all the accountability related institutions should be combined to set up a robust accountability institution in AJK so that it could lay hands on criminals. “We will legislate in this respect”, he added.

Opposition leader said no work was being done at government level in AJK. The roads are in dilapidated condition and nothing is being done in the institutions while development funds are being pocketed like booty, he opined.

He remarked, “there is no planning anywhere in AJK, annual development budget of AJK stands at Rs 12 billion but the projects costing over Rs 0.1 billion have been launched, he criticized the ruling PPP.

He observed that Majid Government is abusing Nawaz Sharif today but he does not tell anyone that Nawaz Sharif has raised discretionary fund of Prime Minister AJK from Rs 2 million to Rs 80 million and he is spending this fund extravagantly.

PPP has devised no planning what they have to do, therefore, all so called packages including education package introduced by them met failure, Farooq Haider said, adding PPP leadership is now receiving salaries while sitting in their homes instead of performing their duties at their work places.

Replying to a question he said if PML-N does not get simple majority then “I will like to sit on opposition benches with honour rather than forming a helpless coalition government.