MIRPUR (AJK)
The Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms (CPDR) AJK, a civil society organization, has started an online petition calling on the governments of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to amend AJK constitution commonly known as Act 1974 and empower AJK Legislative Assembly by drastically reducing Kashmir Council’s administrative and financial authority to ensure democratic and transparent governance.
According to CPDR Executive Director Ershad Mahmud, 700 people have signed the e-petition within two weeks of its launch. The signatories including politicians, writers, journalists, academics, businessmen and students, living in AJK and Kashmir, Pakistan, Europe, the US and even in Australia. Below is the petition link.
http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/empowering-azad-jammu-kashmir-aj-k
The petition reads: “We, the undersigned, call upon the respective governments of Pakistan and AJK to take immediate steps to devolve and transfer the executive, legislative and financial powers of the AJK Council to Legislative Assembly and the state government to establish its character as a responsive, representative, accountable and participatory democracy.
The Council enjoys unfettered jurisdiction and executive power over 52 subjects consequently hampering and impeding the elected government’s ability in decision making in key areas such as economic development, revenue generation, tourism, finance, public policy and socio-political development, hydropower generation, telecommunication etc. which runs contrary to the spirit and ideals of democratic norms & governance.