Islamabad: Chaudhry Yasin, President of the Pakistan People’s Party Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has attributed the implementation of demands related to electricity and flour to the efforts of Pakistan’s President, Asif Zardari. He expressed that the acknowledgment for Zardari’s role in this matter is significant.
According to Pakistan Peoples Party, Yasin spoke at an event where he highlighted ongoing issues of corruption amounting to 23 billion rupees linked to flour and electricity. He emphasized the need for these funds to be used for public benefit rather than burdens on citizens.
During his address, Yasin claimed to be the sole politician who has actively supported the demands of the underprivileged for electricity and has helped lead a successful movement for these causes. He recounted a meeting with President Zardari where he presented the case for Azad Kashmir to be declared a load-shedding-free zone by securing 350 to 400 MW of electricity, describing this as a modest request compared to the consumption in Karachi.
Yasin further mentioned that he demanded electricity be provided at production cost, aligning with the rates at which WAPDA supplies electricity to Azad Kashmir. This demand, along with Gilgit-Baltistan’s request for flour, was reportedly agreed upon. He also noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was informed, prompting instructions for the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir to implement these measures.
Despite these agreements, Yasin questioned why the public has not seen relief from the substantial sum of 23 billion rupees. He criticized the Anwar government for collecting electricity bills in installments from consumers instead of using the funds to settle dues for traders and civil society affected by the electricity bill movement. Additionally, he condemned a Presidential Ordinance as a “black law” and called for its immediate withdrawal.