Three days of official mourning are being observed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) following the death of President of the Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir and former Prime Minister, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry.
The flag of Azad Kashmir will fly at half-mast from 1st February to 3rd February.
The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, including the political and military leadership, have expressed deep grief and sorrow over his death.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry was elected a member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly 9 times.
He served as the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir from 1996 to 2001 and was elected President of Azad Kashmir in 2021.
He also served as the President of five political parties: Azad Muslim Conference, Liberation League, Pakistan People’s Party, People’s Muslim League and Tehreek-e-Insaf Azad Kashmir.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Television (PTV) is making efforts to produce a drama serial based on the life of famous poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib and Mughal emperor Zaheer ud Din Babur, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has announced.
While on the other hand the television network is already under the process of revamped PTV News, PTV Sports and PTV Entertainment will be upgraded as well, he said.
Fawad said the detailed series on the historical figures will be produced in collaboration with Uzbekistan and adding that its pre-production has kicked off.
Fawad announced in April that PTV and PTV Sports will be upgraded to HD this year.
Earlier, it was also revealed that Pakistan will be making a show on the life of Muslim ruler Salahuddin Ayubi. It will be shot in Turkey and will include cast from both the countries.
MUZAFFARABAD: Newly elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry was sworn in as the President of AJK at a ceremony.
Chief Justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan administered the oath.
Addressing after the oath taking ceremony the President Barrister Sultan Mehamood Choudhary said that his first and foremost priority is the liberation of occupied Kashmir and will continue to project the Kashmir issue in its true perspective and Indian forces atrocities internationally.
He said Indian government after abrogating the 370 and 35 of the Indian constitution the statues of occupied Kashmir has been changed but despite Indian illegal and immoral action the India has failed to crush liberation struggle launched by the people of occupied Kashmir for attaining their internationally recognized right to self-determination even with the use of military force and assured that a strong voice will be raised from the base camp.
He warned India to learn lessons from Afghanistan as the voice of the people struggling for liberation could not be suppressed with the use of military force.
The President pointed out that nine lack Indian forces have failed to crush the indigenous freedom struggle launched by the people of occupied Kashmir and assured to the people who attended the oath taking ceremony that he will make justice with the office of the President and will devote his energies for liberation of occupied Kashmir and to make Azad Kashmir a welfare oriented state.
The President said that there is vast potential of tourism, Hydro power and minerals in Azad Kashmir and therefore steps would be taken to make Azad Kashmir economically strengthen and in this context he underlined the need for holding local bodies election to transfer the power at gross root level.
He said overseas Kashmiri are a great asset and they have played a vibrant role in protecting the Kashmir issue at international level. He urged the leader of the House, leader of the opposition and all the members of the assembly to give the right of votes to the overseas Kashmir and make necessary legislation in this regard.
He also called for increasing the seats of women in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly.
Later a smartly turned out police contingent presented a guard of honor to the President.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) AJK chapter President, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and billionaire real estate tycoon, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas are in the race to get the prized post of prime minister.
Both, the leaders of the ruling party of Pakistan are being considered for the top office of AJK but the final decision will be taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry.
When asked about the prospects of Tanveer becoming the AJK PM as he is considered the “most favourite” candidate and whether Mahmood was unhappy over not honouring the promise made to him, Fawad said the decision was yet to be taken.
Barrister Mahmood has won the AJK Legislative Assembly seat from his parent Mirpur LA-3 constituency by defeating his nearest rival Ch Muhammad Saeed of PML-N by 3,147 votes, while Sardar Tanveer emerged victorious from his Bagh constituency.
Mahmood has been elected to the AJKLA eight times and had also been the prime minister when he was associated with the PPP. He joined the PTI in 2015 when he was a PPP member of the AJKLA.
Sardar Tanveer is a newcomer to the PTI and owns a famous multi-storey residential and shopping complex in the federal capital. He is currently serving as the special assistant to the Punjab chief minister.
He actually belongs to Rawalakot but opted for the Bagh seat as a large number of members of his caste live there.
Sardar Tanveer tried to brighten his prospects by persuading the former chief of the AJK branch of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Abdul Rasheed Turabi, to withdraw in his favour, a move that quickly earned Turabi expulsion from the party.
Meanwhile, talking to a news channel, Tanveer said the final decision would be taken by PM Imran Khan, adding that he will meet his expectations if he was given the slot of AJK premier.
ISLAMABAD: President, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry rejected newly introduced amendments in Jammu Kashmir domicile law by the Indian government, saying Indian hegemonic move was tantamount to salt rubbing on wounds of Kashmiris.
Kashmiris are going through terrible times since India stripped the region of its decades’ old distinct identity, said Sultan Mehmood in a statement issued here on Friday.
“The anti-Kashmir law fraught with dangerous political ramifications is part of the nefarious design the basis of which were laid by the BJP government on the fateful day of August 5 2019”, he said/
Termed it as a deep rooted conspiracy against Kashmiris, Barrister Sultan said India under the garb of this new law had opened floodgates for non-Kashmiris to settle in the occupied territory. This was a disastrous recipe to deprive Kashmiris from their land, jobs and other privilegesm he added.
Referring to dangerous dimensions of the law the PTI leader said, “Under the garb of this law the non-state-subjects will seize resources of Jammu Kashmir besides facilitating them to grab Kashmiris’ lands”.
He said that the PTI-AJK chapter, alongwith other political parties, will oppose this law tooth and nail at all levels and will expose India’s aggressive designs against Kashmiris at international level.
He appealed the people of occupied Kashmir not to sell their land to outsiders in any case and urged Kashmiris to be vigilant Indian government and its power hungry puppets have always betrayed common people for their petty interests.
“India has changed the Domicile law at a time when entire world was hectically engaged to fight of the Corona virus so that there will be no public outcry against it”, Barrister said adding that on the other hand all the key leaders of the Hurriyat Conference were detained along with thousands of their supporters.
He said that Kashmiris settled in different parts the world, won’t sit silent on the India’s constitutional terrorism against Kashmiris.
Urging Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood to redouble their efforts to sensitize international community about India’s dangerous game plan Barrister Sultan said that efforts were being made to turn Kashmir into another Palestinian.
