Petition update – 1,170 AJK signatories for amending constitution

MIRPUR (AJK): As many as 1,170 people representing all segments of the society have signed a petition seeking early amendments in the interim constitution of Azad Jammu & Kashmir to ensure more empowerment of AJK government.

A civil society organisation namely Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms started the online petition calling on the governments of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to amend AJK Constitution commonly known as Act 1974 and empower AJK Legislative Assembly by drastically reducing AJK Council’s administrative and financial authority to ensure democratic and transparent governance.

CPDR Executive Director Ershad Mahmud said that signatories had signed the petition within two weeks. The signatories include leading Kashmiri politicians, writers, journalists, academics, businessmen and students living in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, Europe, United States and even in Australia.

Prominent among the signatories included PML-N AJK President and leader of opposition in AJK Legislative Assembly and former Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, AJK PML-N Secretary General Shah Ghulam Qadir, Deputy Opposition leader Ch Tariq Farooq, Minister Ch Latif Akber, Farzana Yaqoob, PML N Iftikhar Gilani, columnist and writers, Haroon Rasheed, Rauf Klasara, Mushtaq Minhas, Saqhir Qamar, Altaf Hamid Rao, JKLF leader Raja Muzaffar, Research scholar Asma Khan Lone, AJK Jammat-e-Islami Vice President Noorul Bari, Muslim Conference’s senior leader Fida Hussain Kayani, AJK business community leaders Zulfiqar Abbasi, Azeem Mushtaq, senior bureaucrats Shaukat Majeed Mallick, Akram Sohail, Javed Ayoub and former Brig Shaukat Qadir.

23 Dec 2014 — http://nation.com.pk/national/23-Dec-2014/1-170-ajk-signatories-for-amending-constitution