By : Kh Kashif Mir
Islamabad: Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, has formed a 7-member committee for the sale of Kashmir State property, disregarding the proposals from elected members of the Kashmir Council. The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs has identified 468 kanals of urban land and 462 acres of agricultural land, along with 14 out of 35 properties that have already been sold through illegal means.
The coalition government led by Anwar ul Haq in Azad Kashmir has facilitated the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, striking a deal with the federal government for a few vehicles and a transfer of 10 billion rupees in exchange for the 80 trillion worth of Kashmir property. The Anwar ul Haq government has also shifted the financial burden of 218 employees of the Kashmir Council and an annual expense of 600 million rupees onto the impoverished people of Azad Kashmir, leading to widespread protests from council members.
According to reliable sources, members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council submitted an agenda to the Prime Minister for the 56th meeting of the council. The agenda included a motion by member Shuja Rathore for the transfer of management of the Kashmir State property, valued at over 80 trillion, from the Government of Pakistan to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council. Additionally, the agenda called for the federal government to cover the development and non-development expenses of the Kashmir Council, under which the federal government had agreed to initiate a mega development program in ten districts of Azad Kashmir through the council.
It is noteworthy that the members of the Kashmir Council had formally written to protest against the unconstitutional and illegal actions of the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, asserting that these actions are contrary to the interests of the state and its people. Now, with the Prime Minister of Pakistan establishing a committee for the Kashmir State property worth over 80 trillion without including any representatives from Azad Kashmir, the Azad government has remained silent on the matter.
Senior Kashmiri journalist and researcher, Ather Masood Wani, reports that a significant portion of the Kashmir State property is located in Punjab and some in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The total urban state property of Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan was 1048 kanals, of which 468 kanals have already been sold, leaving 580 kanals remaining. The total agricultural land was approximately 2426 acres, with 462 acres sold, leaving 1974 acres.
Out of the 35 properties related to the Kashmir State property, 14 have been sold to favored individuals since 1961 under the authorization of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs. However, details regarding the value of the sold properties, who they were sold to, and where the proceeds were spent are not available. The Azad Kashmir government lacks any detailed records of the Kashmir State property located in Pakistan.
According to records, the Office of the Administrator of Kashmir State Property in Lahore reported an income of approximately 60 million rupees for the fiscal year 2004-05, with 30 million rupees indicated as expenses. These properties are nominally rented out. The purpose of the 1961 Administrating of Kashmir Property Ordinance is to manage the Kashmir State property in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa effectively until a final decision on the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir is reached.
Thus, the sale of Kashmir State property by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs constitutes a blatant violation of the mandate, resulting in damage to the national and state treasury, as well as falling under the categories of corruption and nepotism. Astonishingly, the income from these properties does not go to the treasury of Azad Kashmir or Pakistan but remains at the discretion of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs. Under the interim constitution of 1974 approved by the Government of Pakistan for Azad Kashmir, the subject of Kashmir State property in Pakistan is assigned to the Kashmir Council, necessitating the revocation of the 1961 Administrating of Kashmir Property Ordinance.
