Muzaffarabad ( AJ & K): An agricultural exhibition was organized here under the auspices of the department of agriculture, Muzaffarabad.
The stalls of locally produced fruit, vegetables, and agricultural products were set up by local farmers and various units of the agriculture department.
The landowners were given awareness and demonstration about agricultural farming, agro-medicines, and machinery.
Director of agriculture Khawaja Masood Iqbal gave a briefing to Minister of Agriculture Sardar Mir Akbar Khan about locally produced olive products. The minister of agriculture praised the efforts of the departments and said that connecting with the land is the need of the time.
He further said that agriculture is the biggest sector affecting the national economy, and if our needs are met at the local level, peoples’ economic condition will improve and the revenue of the state will also increase.
Director Research Khawaja Masood Iqbal,, Muzaffarabad
“We can complete the production of vegetables and meat at the local level, and in this regard, the department of agriculture will continue its efforts”. He said that women have an important role in kitchen gardening.
Speaking at the event, Secretary Agriculture and Livestock Sardar Javed Ayub said that Azad Kashmir is the watershed of the entire country and we are trying to make the Azad region a food basket for Pakistan.
Our mission is that every region should be able to meet the local demand. He congratulated the organizers for organizing the exhibition. The agriculture minister also gave shields to those who won prominent positions in the stalls. The farmers of Muzaffarabad, Jhelum Valley, and Neelam district had prepared stalls of fresh crops, fruits, and vegetables.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Minister of Agriculture Sardar Mir Akbar Khan. While the secretary of agriculture Sardar Javed Ayub, Islamic Relief Representative Zeeshan Maqbool, Vice President National Bank of Pakistan Naheed Yusuf, Director Agriculture Sardar Zareen Khan, and others also addressed the opening ceremony.
Director General Agriculture Tariq Mehmood Bande and Director General ASMA Raja Gulzar also addressed the opening ceremony.
Director Research Khawaja Masood Iqbal, Deputy Director Agriculture Muzaffarabad Amina Rafi, and others were also present on this occasion.
Muzaffarabad ( IoK News): For the first time in the history of the divided state of Jammu and Kashmir, a private airline will operate from the Pakistan side of the conflict zone.
The government of Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir formerly known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir has issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) of a new airline under the name of Kashmir Airlines to Mahmoodul Haq, the founder of CareCloud.
Mahmud Haq is the founder and Executive Chairman of CareCloud. Prior to founding CareCloud (formerly known as MTBC), Mr. Haq served as CEO and President of Compass International Services Corporation (NASDAQ:CMPS) from 1997-1999.
From 1985 to 1996, Mr. Haq served as Vice President of Global Risk Management for American Express (NYSE: AXP).
Mr. Haq is a graduate of Bridgewater State College (Massachusetts) with a BS in Aviation Management and he has earned an MBA from Clark University (Massachusetts) with a concentration in Finance.
CareCloud delivers the most comprehensive technology-enabled solutions to healthcare organizations of all sizes, spanning a wide range of specialties, all across the country.
The US firm CareCloud which operates some of its services from within Azad Jammu and Kashmir has a market capitalization of US$56.9m. It generated US$4.8m in EBIT over the last twelve months. The company has partnered with a variety of healthcare organizations to extend its reach to more than 40 states. Founded in 2001, MTBC has a global workforce of approximately 1,600 full-time employees.
According to details published in local media, the sitting prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is keen to attract investment and promote tourism in the region. – End
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Siddique Awan, Conservation, Ecology and Biodiversity ExpertRaees ud Din Khawja, Tourism Expert
London/Neelum Valley (27 June 2022) Addressing the participant of a virtual dialogue on the environmental issues of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, experts said on Sunday that the local environment and the ecosystem of the entire Himalayan region are in danger. They said that if forests, rare species of animals, precious birds that act as environment filters, valuable herbs, and ecosystem-balanced plants are not protected, the region would lose its ecological balance.
The environmentalists warned that the timber mafia should be curbed to protect the precious forests of the region. They also said that irregular construction of guest houses in Neelum Valley should be stopped and alternative sources of energy should be provided to the people to stop the relentless deforestation. “If steps are not taken at the grassroots level, we will lose a great deal of national capital, which will have a devastating effect on the local environment and the ecosystem of the entire region,” they said. Speaking on the environmental issues of Neelum Valley, the speakers unanimously adopted that a massive awareness campaign and steps need to be taken to create awareness among the people about climate change. District-wide steps must be taken in accordance with international norms to promote eco-friendly and sustainable tourism. Necessary changes need to be made in the curriculum to make the new generation aware of the dangers facing the environment. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Siddique Awan, a top researcher on wildlife, conservation, and biodiversity, said that the growing population, deforestation, the influx of tourists to protected areas, and pollution have resulted in the greenhouse gas effect. He emphasized that both mitigation and adaptation measures were urgently needed to address important environmental issues. He further said that rising greenhouse gas emissions have multiplied the risk of glaciers erupting in the Neelum Valley, which poses a serious threat to the ecological balance of the whole Himalayan region. He said that we have to make the new generation aware of the dangers facing the mountains and forests through changes in the curriculum. “Local data on climate change is very limited, and more funds are needed for further research into the wise use of water, minerals, and medicinal plants,” he mentioned in his keynote address. The illegal extraction of medicinal plants from the Neelum Valley needs to be stopped and the movement nomads-especially those migrating from the mountains to the plains, also needs to be monitored. The endangered animals, birds, and other wildlife in the Neelum Valley are our national heritage, which is depriving us of the great national capital by eradicating them through poaching and cruelty. Dr. Siddique Awan, citing the serious effects of climate change on the local climate, said that the monsoon season has now started in the Neelum Valley, which is astonishing and has led to catastrophic glacier eruptions in recent years. “The growing population has become a major threat to the environment. Due to this, the areas of Athmaqam and Kundal Shahi have now merged, although, in the light of Islamic injunctions, it is necessary to keep a distance of a few kilometers between the two big cities”, he explained by highlighting the need for allocation of green space between cities. Environmentalists further said that there is no check and balance in the tourism sector as the tourists are spreading pollution in mountainous areas and causing other environmental problems. We need to introduce a proper system to prevent tourists from spreading pollution. They should be given orientation on the protection of local resources. Sardar Mohammad Akram- a representative of the state forests department while speaking in his personal capacity, said that the forests of Neelum Valley are equal to about half of the forests of the whole state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. And luckily, we have some trees in the area that have become extinct all over Pakistan. He described that deforestation is not based on scientific principles and that irregularities in deforestation are harming forests and wildlife. The area of forests near population centers is shrinking as human populations are increasingly using forests for fuel and construction. To save the forests, the people need to take ownership of environmental and natural assets as their personal valuables. The government and civil society must work together to save the forests. Focal Person Tourism Department Khawaja Raisuddin said that due to climate change, the temperature difference between Neelum Valley and Muzaffarabad Valley has remained non-existent and this is due to extraordinary tourism activities. In view of the increasing number of tourists in the Neelum Valley, the concerned agencies should ensure the implementation of the Building Code and other laws to save local resources. Forty-five percent of the non-local tourists visiting Azad Kashmir are going to Neelam Valley. But relevant laws are not being implemented to check the extraordinary number of tourists. There is a need to increase partnerships between local communities and the government to save deforestation, and relevant departments and agencies must play their part in enforcing solid waste and building codes in tourist areas. Speaking on the objectives of the Press for Peace Foundation’s environmental awareness campaign, host Mazhar Iqbal Mazhar said that the organization has carried out numerous activities on the environment in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the last two decades including seminars, workshops, community projects, public awareness, and media sensitization campaigns. The purpose of these activities is to raise public awareness of local environmental issues.
In a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Press for Peace Foundation UK, environmentalists and civil society representatives have called on the government to address the deteriorating environmental situation in the region of Azad Kashmir. A statement issued at the end of the virtual panel discussion on Sunday 19 June 2022 said that the process of diverting rivers for power generation projects has multiplied the local temperature, which is having a serious impact on the local population. Azad Jammu and Kashmir water sources and rivers have been toyed with in the name of hydropower projects, said the panelists. The EPA’s recommendations have been ignored. The sewage treatment plant for Muzaffarabad, greater water supply scheme and solid waste management projects were not made. No trees were planted on the banks of rivers in Muzaffarabad, no water bodies were made, and garbage and hospital waste is being dumped in the river. The ecological balance of wild and aquatic life disappears, and fish from Neelum to Nauseri are endangered. The panelists demand immediate action to protect the region’s natural resources, aquatic and wildlife, and civil rights. They also emphasized the need for the construction of bridges and underpasses for wildlife, and the establishment of environmental magistrate courts, and environmental tribunals. Climate change threatens future glacier destruction, rising temperatures, and human migration. The dialogue on environmental issues in Muzaffarabad was organized as part of an environmental awareness campaign by the Press for Peace Foundation. The event was hosted by Mazhar Iqbal Mazhar. Speakers at the panel discussion included Raja Muhammad Razzaq, a member of IUCN and former DG, Environment Protection Agency (EPA), activist Faisal Jamil Kashmiri, and Shahid Awan, a civil society leader. Environmentalist Dr. Baseeruddin Qureshi, Estonian-based Kashmiri environmentalist Fahad Ali Kazmi, Director EPA Shafiq Abbasi, Director Press for Peace Foundation UK Prof. Zafar Iqbal, Urban Planning Specialist Haseeb Khawaja and other speakers addressed the gathering. Raja Mohammad Razzaq, a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, said that civil society should play a leading role in saving natural resources and the environment. The biggest reason for the growing environmental problems is the lack of political will because political parties have no interest in environmental issues, he added. The environment is not included in the construction and development sectors. He said that the activation of the EPA’s Environmental Council was needed. Social activist Faisal Jamil Kashmiri said that the state’s water sources and rivers had been toyed with in the name of hydropower projects. The Neelum-Jhelum Hydro Project has turned the Neelum River into a canal and the temperature in Muzaffarabad has risen to dangerously high levels. They are also falling in the lower regions of the country as a result of which the water level in Thar and some other areas of Sindh has gone down by 80 feet. He said that EPA’s recommendations on the environment had been ignored in the Neelum Jhelum project. The previous government of Pakistan had directed to re-survey the river. The Azad Kashmir government and WAPDA have failed miserably in fulfilling their responsibilities in the Neelum-Jhelum project. Muzaffarabad’s great supporter Faisal Jameel Kashmiri, citing several examples of government neglect and negligence regarding the Neelum-Jhelum project, said that no sewage treatment plant and Greater Water Supply Scheme had been set up to protect the environment. He added that the solid waste management project in the capital city was not implemented. Trees have not been planted along the river bank and water bodies have not been erected. There are a number of laws, including the Forest Regulation Act 1928, the Environmental Protection Act 2000, and the Wildlife Preservation Act 1974. Anyone who causes a loss of one thousand rupees will be fined ten thousand rupees and should go to jail. He demanded that there should be an environmental magistrate and an environmental tribunal. The government should ensure the implementation of the Forest, Wildlife, and EPA Act and other laws. Civil society will raise its voice at every level to save the natural environment and local resources. Environmental expert Dr. Basiruddin Qureshi said that wild and aquatic life in Azad Kashmir was a great blessing for the local population. With the increase in human population, the burden on forests has increased and the incidence of collisions between humans and wild animals was increasing. Wildlife and aquatic life play an important role in the ecological balance. As a result of the Neelam Jhelum project, local fish from Noseri to Muzaffarabad are running out. Forest fires are causing irreparable damage to wildlife along with the loss of forests. He warned that wildlife was being affected as a result of major hydropower and other developmental projects. Underpasses should be constructed to ensure free movement of wildlife on roads and other construction projects and conservation of wild and aquatic life should be included in mega hydropower projects. Shahid Awan, a civil society leader and president of Anjuman-e-Shehryan, said that in view of the growing number of tourists in Azad Kashmir, the government should clarify its policy on eco-tourism and take necessary steps to save natural resources. The government has allowed roads and chaotic construction in critical places connected to the natural environment, which endangers the environment. bRs 26 crores were provided for Muzaffarabad for a solid waste management project which was not spent and no recycling project was started. He termed the sanitation situation in Muzaffarabad as deplorable and said that the waste of AIMS hospital and the whole city’s waste was being dumped in the rivers. He feared that if water resources and rivers were not protected, citizens would be forced to relocate in the future. Urban planning expert Haseeb Khawaja termed the growing trend of awkward constructions in Azad Kashmir as unfriendly to the environment and said that a master plan was urgently needed to bring Muzaffarabad and other major cities in line with modern requirements. A Japanese organization JICA had predicted another quake in Muzaffarabad due to a faultline and recommended that the population be moved away from the fault line, but the government had been negligent. Director EPA Shafiq Abbasi said that the population of five major cities including Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot, Bagh, and Kotli has increased exponentially in recent years but solid waste management and other services have not been able to meet local needs. Referring to the government’s initiatives regarding local environmental issues, he said that the government of Pakistan was conducting a new feasibility study. The purpose of which is to estimate the water requirements in the lower reaches of the Neelum river after the Neelum-Jhelum project and save local resources and take other eco-friendly measures as a result of the project. More than Rs. 300 million has already been provided to the Local Government Department for Solid Waste Management, he further said. He said that Azad Kashmir was moving ahead step by step in fulfilling its responsibilities regarding environmental protection. We need to adapt our development to local resources. Environmental Scholar Fahad Ali Kazemi said that such trees planted in Azad Kashmir contradicted the local environment. This trend has a negative impact on the environment. Large development projects are affecting water resources and forests. He said that people should use vehicles that emit less carbon. We are using old vehicles which are unfit and unsuitable for the environment. People should be serious about their environment. This will require climate change to be an important part of the conversation on social media and in private. Prof. Zafar Iqbal said that Press for Peace Foundation has been working on social and environmental issues for the last two decades in a voluntary spirit. Climate change is one of the most important issues of the day, and workshops, panel discussions, and other programs for public awareness will be spread across the state. Literature-based on local characters and issues is being developed to raise environmental awareness among the younger generation.- PFPF News
We live in an uncertain world. The present situation yearns for past pattern of socio political transitions like 1815, 1919, 1945, and 1989, when the route was hazy and the world was looking forward to some doable rosy future.
The past rapid transitional changes are the vivid proof of the fact that the ongoing change will be accelerated in posterity with double pace. There seem to be four basic scenarios for the future world in the coming decade.
The state monopoly seems to be dying out in the near future as the trends, copious forms of media and international interference will cripple the state monopoly in front of the nonstate world.
The second possibility is that the interstate confrontation will merge to a new edge as a part of a new greater game globally and especially in Asian perspective. The western interests, interference and interaction in Asia has justified that Asia has become a global arena for power-wrestling.
It is likely to curtail the global scenario via absolute breakdown or turnaround of globalization. Such murky and mysterious judgments akin to world wars are anticipated but the consequences might be reversed to the past.
In case of chief global powers’ wrestling in Asiatic Arena will provide the tangential powers the juncture to emerge to the global scene to strive for trends to halt the divergence.
The world major powers’ conflict will create an economic and political vacuum which will boost the middle class or developing countries to emerge on the scene. The futuristic technological world is going to eradicate economic and interdependency worldwide.
The power threads seem interwoven by non-state world rather than state hegemony. Such change will curtail the Western imperialism. Energy independence will ensure the power grip which is the backbone for economic upturn.
It seems that Europe, the US and China will plunge in some greater conflict in Asia and the intervention of peripheral powers will smoother the fidget.
The new political, economic, strategic and regional block will take place. The boxing for political and world leadership will remain consistent.
The world organizations will be compelled to inculcate certain others and their reformation is certain. The margin of developed and developing countries will remain the same but Chinese per capita income will boost if it follows its present policies for middle income contraries.
The world is on its extreme margins dominating and dominated. If such a situation is not reversed, the inequalities cannot be minimized in the coming decades. The nonstate world will trigger it harder than the past.
The empowerment of the non-state world will intensify the global political, economic and social tensions.
The non competitive countries will be gulped up by non-state giants. From key world powers, the one who stays away from conflicts and gains energy independence will get the best in global decision making.
The world will become wealthy, advanced but darker and insecure which will impinge on domestic as well as international affairs.
Non-state actors, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), cosmopolitan businesses, academic institutions, and affluent dwellers as well as megacities, burgeon and surpass in brazening out worldwide disputes.
Boosting global public opinion harmony among cream of the crop and many of the growing middle classes on chief global challenges-poverty, the environment, anti-corruption, rule-of-law, and peace-form the base of their support.
The nation-state does not ebb, but states ever more systematize and devise amalgamations of state and non-state actors which budge depending on the problem. Totalitarian rule unearths its durable function in this world, anxious with asserting political predominance at home and respect in a progressively more fully democratized world.
Even autonomous countries, which are connected to the notion of dominion and autonomy, find it thorny to maneuvere lucratively in this multifaceted and sundry world. Minor, luther states in which the privileged are also more incorporated are pertinent to do better than larger countries that are deficient in social or political solidity.
Formal governance institutions that do not acclimatize to the more unlike and prevalent allocation of power are also less probable to be victorious. cosmopolitan businesses, communications firms, international scientists, NGOs, and others that are used to cooperating across borders and as elements of network bloom in this hyper-globalized world where proficiency, sway, and nimbleness count for more than weight or position.
This is nonetheless a hodgepodge and very rough world. Some universal troubles get cracked because networks cope to combine and a few collaboration transpires both state and non-state divides. In other cases, non-state factors might endeavour to deal with a defy, but they are thwarted because of opposition from key powers. Security intimidations pretence an escalating challenge. Entrée to deadly and troublemaking technologies inflate, enabling individuals and small groups to bring about hostility and commotion on a large scale. Economically, universal expansion does faintly better than in the Gini Out-of-the-Bottle scenario because more cooperation occurs on major global challenges in this world.
The world is also more secure and socially cohesive. The radical changes in the world organizations, new economic, political, strategic and regional blocks have become the need of the hour to crack down the hard nuts of the global problems. Asia is the least integrated region in the world and it cannot bear the brunt of the global powers wrestling. the unresolved long standing issues which are the bone of contention among several states globally should be resolved instead of creating new fuss for power thrust.
The smaller states and developing countries must step forward to format a novel platform for resolving their issues and conflicts. The world power in the hands of a few will forcefully push the unwilling to colour their hands with human blood in various campaigns.
And its reservoir began storing water today (20 Nov) 2021.
The plant is along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a 3000-kilometer long route of infrastructure projects connecting the two countries.
After six years of construction, the Karot Hydropower Station has closed the gates of its diversion tunnels, and has officially started to impound water.
It’s a milestone event, marking the completion of over ninety percent of the project. It also paves the way for power generation in eastern Pakistan in the first half of next year.
ZUO YAXI Head, Engineering Department China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd. “We spent two years working out solutions to cope with the sandstone and mudstone underground, which interrupted our grouting work. We made it after repeated trial and error.
The cement used for the construction was produced locally, so we tried very hard to control temperature rise, and reduce cracks in the concrete.”
Karot Hydropower Station is located on the Jhelum River in Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab.
With an installed capacity of 7,200 megawatts, it can provide over three billion kilowatt hours of clean energy each year, supplying electricity to about five million people in the country.
N.A. ZUBEIRI Senior Consultant China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd. “During construction, about three thousand to five thousand people will get the employment, and they’re already employed here.
Another important thing is that the tariff for the project is around 7.5 cents per unit. So consumers in Pakistan will get cheaper electricity from this basic project.”
The project is an investment by China Three Gorges Corporation, a Chinese enterprise that’s among the world’s largest producers of hydroelectric power.
Its subsidiary, the Three Gorges South Asia Investment, holds the majority share of the Karot Power Company that operates the plant.
N.A. ZUBEIRI Senior Consultant China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Ltd. “This investment is coming from private sectors, after completing 30 years, this project will be transferred to the provincial government, which means the government of Punjab will get a project of 1.7 billion dollars at free.”
The Karot Hydropower Station is the first investment project of the Silk Road Fund, and is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Once completed, it’s expected to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Pakistan by 3.5 million tons per year. Courtesy Meng Qingsheng, CGTN.
The arrangements for a remembrance seminar to be organized by the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of the 74th founding day of liberated part of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir have been finalized.
74th Founding Day of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
The Radio Pakistan broadcasted on Saturday that the 74th Founding Day of Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be celebrated on Sunday with a renewed pledge to continue the struggle until the liberation of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and accession of the whole territory to Pakistan.
The tomb of founder President of AJ& K, Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan (late) at Kot Matte Khan, Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir. He led the revolt of 1947 and liberated present day Azad Kashmir from Dogra forces.
It will be a public holiday throughout the state. The day will dawn with 21 guns saluting in the state capital Muzaffarabad.
Sardar Ibrahim Khan- ‘Bani-e-Kashmir’ (founder of liberated Kashmir).
The Founding Day is celebrated in commemoration of freedom from the Dogra regime on in 1947. On 24 Oct 1947, Sardar Ibrahim Khan declared Bhimber, Kotli, Mirpur & Muzaffarabad independent as ‘Azad Kashmir’ and himself came to be known as ‘Bani-e-Kashmir’ (founder of liberated Kashmir).
Gilgit, Hunza and Nagar acceded to Pakistan
After the collapse of dogra rule in above mentioned areas of the state, On 04 Nov 1947, Pakistani flag was hoisted by Maj William Brown at the Gilgit Scouts lines & Peshawar was informed of Gilgit’s accession to Pakistan along with principalities of Hunza & Nagar.
Maj William Brown -the Gilgit ScoutsSardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan- Founder and the first president of the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan-Mujahid-i-Awwal (the first freedom fighter)
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan started armed struggle against the rulers from the hilltops of Neela Butt. It’s a popular belief that Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan fired the first gunshot.
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan- Former President and Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir
This day was celebrated by the followers of the Mujahid-i-Awwal (the first freedom fighter) as he was popularly known, commemorating his bravery.
Ghazi Millat was the cause of the revolutionary government formed under the leadership of Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan.
Prominent leaders will address the seminar
According to a spokesman of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, Chairman Kashmir Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi, former President Azad Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan, former Prime Minister Azad Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider, Leader of the Muslim Conference, and former Prime Minister, Sardar Atiq Ahmad Khan, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Chaudhry Latif Akbar and others will address the seminar.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam, Executive Director of Iqbal Institute of Research and Dialogue Islamabad Dr. Hassan Al-Amin, Azad Jammu, and Kashmir University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi and other speakers will also address the event.
The Registrar of the University, Prof. Dr. Ayesha Sohail has constituted a core committee headed by Prof. Dr. Siddique Awan, Director Finance and Planning, for the management and administration of the Kashmir Seminar.
According to Radio Pakistan, special prayers will be offered in mosques for the integrity and prosperity of Pakistan and the early liberation of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Simple but impressive flag hoisting ceremonies will be held at all district and divisional headquarters.
Main function of the Founding Day will be held at Parade Ground Muzaffarabad
In the state capital Muzaffarabad, the main function of the Founding Day will be held at Parade Ground and Prime Minister AJK Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi will hoist the national flag at 9:00 am. All the three radio stations of AJK will air special programs to highlight the significance of Founding Day.
The second session will be presided over by Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi in which leaders of parliamentary political parties Latif Akbar, Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan, Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, and other leaders will address.
Meanwhile, Azad Jammu and Kashmir University Professor Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi said in a statement that the University of Kashmir has been celebrating the foundation day of Azad Kashmir since 2016.
And in keeping with its tradition, the university will celebrate the founding day of the state with full enthusiasm and national spirit this year as well to acquaint the young generation with the present situation of the Azad Kashmir Movement and the motives behind it on October 24, 1947.
Remembering the devastating 2005 earthquake and the role of social media platforms in facilitating humanitarian aid
In October 2005, an earthquake destroyed several parts of northern Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, particularly Muzaffarabad, killing around 80,000 people and leaving 4 million homeless.
The capital city was hit the hardest in terms of fatalities and destruction. A huge number of people had gone missing.
That evening, I tried hard to reach out to my friends and relatives living in Muzaffarabad but could not succeed in establishing contact with them.
The landline communication system was badly damaged.
I had to travel to Muzaffarabad to inquire about the wellbeing of my friends and relatives.
It took me two days to reach there as roads and bridges had been destroyed by the landslides and the collapsing of mountains during the earthquake.
Contrary to this situation, after an earthquake that struck Mirpur city on September 24 last year, several of my friends appeared on Facebook and other social media networks within a short time and marked their status as “safe”.
This gave me great solace and I did not call them, supposing that they must have been busy in rescuing themselves and helping others.
Meanwhile, the state authorities as well as various relief and rescue organisations started appearing on social media networks to share the latest information and guide the affected people about safe zones and availability of ambulances.
Kashmir Orphans Relief Trust (KORT), one of the leading charity organisations, immediately set up a Facebook call centre that received hundreds of calls from the affected people as well as from the potential donors says KORT manager Sajid Dilawar Khan.
He says that within the first 24 hours a huge number of volunteers, mostly young people, joined the KORT to provide relief and shelter to fellow citizens.
Facebook and Twitter emerged as crucial components of the humanitarian response in Mirpur’s earthquake.
Over a million Mirpuris are settled in the United Kingdom.
They maintain close family ties and wanted real-time information about the calamity and the whereabouts of their family members back home to provide them the required help.
The social media networks turned out to be a convenient platform to develop communication between the affected families and the diaspora.
These played an instrumental role in bringing substantial financial and material support from the United Kingdom.
Recalling the early days of earthquake, the Mirpur deputy commissioner told this writer that social media had immensely helped identify the affected areas and people who needed emergency support.
According to his estimate, out of 160,000 residents of the earthquake-hit area, nearly 100,000 were cell phone users.
Therefore, the local authorities set up numerous WhatsApp groups, where people and voluntaries used to post videos that quickly drew the administration’s attention.
Further, this provided an easy forum to request aid to fulfil the immediate needs of the affected people, seek help from the local and international donors and develop coordination with the relief workers present in the region.
For instance, 90 percent of the donations collected by the KORT were the outcome of the social media campaign, says Sajid Dilawar.
Several relief organisations shared their daily activities on social media to apprise the public and donors alike about their work.
There was no tool available other than the social media to engage the affected communities. Without properly engaging a community, a humanitarian crisis cannot be addressed appropriately.
I noticed that due to regular updates on Facebook and Twitter, the affected people became part of the humanitarian response as they were engaged in the conversations, unlike the 2005 earthquake.
No abductions or stealing were reported in Mirpur as the administration was constantly informing the public about the unfolding situation. This drastically reduced the spread of rumors and fake news.
I was informed by the local administration that they had been following social media intensely to get firsthand information and figure out the needs of people and their expectations from the authorities.
I was informed that at several points prompt rescue action was taken by virtue of the social media inputs.
The social media also gave a voice to the affected communities and empowered them. In the age of social media, the traditional print and electronic media cannot prove as helpful in such crises.
It also improved the process of the accountability of state authorities and humanitarian agencies by facilitating people to instantly raise their voices against any injustice and point out flaws in the authorities’ approach to mitigate the suffering of the victims.
The writer is an Islamabad/ Rawalakot based analyst. Email: ershad.mahmud@gmail.com
/London/: Members of the British Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir have exchanged heated views while discussing a motion on human rights in Kashmir.
British parliament member Imran Hussain said that the UK should send clear massage to United Nations for solution of Kashmir as he said the Kashmiries also have equal rights to live on earth.
Labour MP Tahir Ali, while speaking to the House of Commons, called for the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to be barred from the Parliament because of the military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
MP Tahir Ali
The Minister for Asia in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Amanda Milling, responded to the debate on Thursday by reiterating the UK government’s unchanged stance on Kashmir as a bilateral issue.
The government takes the situation in Kashmir very seriously but it’s for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political solution, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
It’s not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator, said Milling.
Raheel Malik Tweeted that the backbench business debate was put forward by MPs Debbie Abrahams and Yasmin Qureshi.
According to Qureshi “the situation on the ground is deeply troubling” and as the “conflict is a colonial legacy” UK has a responsibility to help resolve it.
The debate, which was scheduled to be held in March 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, was opened by Opposition Labour Party MP Debbie Abrahams.
She said that the Pakistani government allowed them unfettered access. We used our meetings to ask pointed questions related to human rights issues highlighted in United Nations reports, said Abrahams.
Kashmiris must be at the heart of a trilateral peacebuilding process, she said, reiterating that Thursday’s debate was not pro or anti any country and only speaking in favour of human rights.
While the world is heading towards 5G – People of the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) are still looking for basic internet facilities .
There are several areas in both – AJK and GB , where people don’t even have facility of mobile networks for calls etc.
But , there are some good news regarding internet facility to the people of AJK and GB as application were invited by Pakistan telecommunication Authority (PTA).
As per promise by Federal Minister for Kashmir and GB Affairs Ali Amin Khan Gandapur , During Election campaigns in Azad jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit –the process for bidding for the next generation mobile services (NGMS) spectrum is initiated.
All four cellular companies , which are operating in Pakistan , have submitted bids for the NGMS spectrum auction.
Official Source from Pakistan telecommunication authority (PTA) told that PTA has received bids by four cellular companies operating in Pakistan – against both bands (1800MHz & 2100MHz).
Four cellular companies which are interested are Telenor Pakistan, Pakistan mobile communication limited (PMCL / JAZZ) , china mobile Pakistan (CMPAK / ZONG) and the last one is Pakistan telecommunications mobile limited (UFONE) .
Applications were invited from cellular companies for 30MHz paired in the 2100MHz and 1600MHz paired in the 1800MHz band for new technology in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) & Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
As per information by PTA , via their information memorandum (IM) , last date to submit application forms and sealed bids with pre-Bid deposit was September 22 , 2021.
Now, its upto PTA for method of selection of one of the companies – either selection could be done through announcement of qualified winners directly on September 23 , 2021 or digital auctioning on September 24 , 2021 (if and only if PTA can’t choose qualifier from group of applied companies ). On September 27 and 28 , 2021 – Mock clock auction of 1800MHz and 2100MHz will be held (if required) and then clock auction bidding respectively. People from AJK and GB are happy over this move by the government of Pakistan , PTA and all relevant authorities. It would be a milestone as both areas – AJK and GB were under high criticism on social media after outbreak of COVID’19 as even for online studies , students from AJK and GB were forced to live away from their homes due to unavailability of internet. Students , who were in AJK or GB , for their online classes they often need to go on high peaks , mountains etc. for better internet quality so they could get their online classes or exams. Employed people , also suffered a lot – for those who were working online often faced internet issues – forcing them to get away from their areas to the major cities where internet facilities were enough. Complaints were there on Prime Minister citizen portal by students about difficulties and issues they were facing for online classes – especially during online exams . Twitter trends were launched by Students of AJK , against worst internet facility in the region with the Hashtag (#ProvideinternetinAJK). Federal Minister for Kashmir and GB Affairs Ali Amin Khan Gandapur and Murad saeed faced criticism also during their election campaigns by the educated sect of AJK and GB. They promised to provide internet facilities to the people of AJK and GB on priority basis – and it seems like a dream coming true for people in AJK and GB. In 2018 , Peaceful Protest was also recorded by Youth Parliament AJK Chapter – under leadership of Mr Asad Qureshi (President YPP Then) and his team – against poor internet facilities in AJK (in general) and in Capital of AJK Muzaffrabad (in specific). Freelancer community of AJK and GB were also forced to reside in areas and cities with better internet quality – Freelancer from AJK , Mr Shakeel ur Rehman told that “ we can’t even go to our homes for 3-4 days due to poor or no internet facilities there in my native village (KUNA) , chinari , jehlum valley AJK . As on freelancing sites , Your rating matters a lot and rating usually depends upon your time to response any query or to accept orders from different customers and time efficiency required.
With present internet facilities in AJK , You can’t even make calls (audio / video) on whattsapp , messanger etc many times. But ,recent development as applications were invited by PTA , seems future would be better than present.” Another citizen , Student of Mirpur university of science and technology , Mirpur AJK , Sardar Hasnat (Software Engineer) told his experience of the issues he faced during his online classes and exam.
Hasnat told that even for online classes , he had to live in Mirpur AJK as internet in his native city , Kotli AJK wasn’t good enough for taking online classes and exams.
Human Right Activist from GB , AB wahab Fakhar welcomed this step of Telecommunication authority and called this as “ Morning after long Dark years “ – He added , students of school and college would also get a better chance to get recognize with the technologies at very young age , it took 20+ years of our life and migration from GB – for our education and recognition with internet facility and diversity of online educational and learning opportunities.
To conclude , one can say , Internet is like a basic HUMAN RIGHT in present age – if Right to information , right to education or freedom of speech are basic human rights , then the tool “ Internet” required for freely acquiring them is and foremost right of every Human.
Engr Tabish Abbasi is a freelance contributor and blogger. His email ID is tabiabbasi36@gmail.com
Insight on Kashmir 