RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan has expressed dissatisfaction over the briefing given by commissioner (rehabilitation) and secretary Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Committee meeting was held here with MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed in chair at the Parliament House on Monday.

The committee chairman directed the secretary of Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan to look into the matter personally and solve the problems of the genuine allottees without any further delay and report back to the committee.

In a previous meeting, the commissioner (rehabilitation) had informed the committee members about a housing scheme for settlement of Kashmiri refugees. The committee had directed the commissioner to get more details about allotment of plots to non-entitled persons.

The secretary agriculture Gilgit-Baltistan also briefed the committee about the agriculture economy in detail, food production, fruit wastage, potential of fruit crops and vegetable particularly potato in Gilgit-Baltistan.

He further informed the committee about the economic transformative initiatives taken by the present government and also highlighted the challenges and difficulties in implementing the proposals due to lack of budget in the sector.

The committee chairman directed the ministry to make special projects in consultation with the government of Gilgit-Baltistan for agriculture sector in the PSDP for next year.

The committee was also informed about the specification of required scanners and progress of establishing a wholesale market near the Line of Control (LoC). The committee appreciated the work and directed to complete these projects in order to promote trade between the two countries.