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Amjad Ayub Mirza, an activist from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), expressed serious concerns regarding the budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 presented by the PoJK government.
In a video message, Mirza criticised the local administration for what he termed a budget with "significant deficits," noting that the government would struggle to finance its purported development projects due to an empty treasury. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the PoJK government unveiled a budget totaling over Rs 264 billion, including a development outlay of Pakistani currency (PKR) 44 billion. The budget, presented by PoJK's Minister for Finance, Abdul Majid Khan, anticipates a total revenue of PKR 201.17 billion, with the deficit to be covered by federal grants. Minister Abdul Majid Khan stated that Inland Revenue expects to collect PKR 75 billion from income tax in the upcoming fiscal year, alongside PKR 105 billion from federal variable grants and PKR 1 billion from water use charges, in addition to other government department revenues. Mirza highlighted, "While the government has promised increases in pensions and salaries for PoJK's government employees, the reality differs significantly." He pointed out ongoing protests by various government departments' employees over the past year and a half demanding a 100% increase in pensions and salaries. Regarding disaster management, Mirza criticised the allocation of only PKR 25 million, stating, "PoJK, being a disaster-prone hilly region, requires substantial investment in technology and trained personnel. PKR 25 million is insufficient to handle the region's disaster preparedness needs." Mirza also mentioned discontent among pensioners over a 10 per cent tax implemented by the administration. Recently, PoJK has witnessed widespread protests against Pakistan, attributed to high inflation, exorbitant electricity bills, and slow development progress, underscoring long-standing grievances of neglect from Islamabad. (ANI)
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