The federal government is likely to establish a high-level committee to find a political solution for the electricity rates, water usage charges (WUC), and control of grid stations in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). This decision comes after public sector stakeholders failed to reach an amicable solution, informed sources told Business Recorder.
A meeting was held on May 22, 2024, in the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit-Baltistan (KA&GB), led by the Secretary of the KA&GB Division. Attendees included the Secretary of the Water Resources Division, the Secretary of the Power Division, and the Chief Secretary of AJK.
The Secretary of KA&GB noted that the meeting was convened at the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The issue of WUC in AJK, along with related matters, had been discussed in previous Inter-Ministerial Committee meetings held under the Minister for Defence during the caretaker government, where some preliminary work had already been completed.
Despite this, the deliberations remained inconclusive due to differing stances among the AJK government, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Power Division. Two preparatory meetings were held on May 15 and May 16, 2024, to discuss a mutually agreeable draft bilateral agreement between the Government of AJK and the Government of Pakistan (Ministry of Water Resources). Some progress was made, but the core issue of the bilateral agreement remains unresolved.
Story by Mushtaq Ghumman
