AJK PM grants land ownership to 1,000 families displaced by LoC shelling

“• Beneficiaries settled on government land near Mirpur in 2006 after fleeing 1998 cross-border shelling • Rathore links the move to 2026 elections, vowing to ‘seek vote’ next time; asserts political rivals have ‘mentally conceded defeat’ MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore announced on Sunday the grant of ownership rights to more than 1,000 families displaced from the Line of Control who had long been residing on state land in Janyal, on the outskirts of Mirpur. The announcement came at a ceremony held to formalise the transfer of land rights to the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Most families had migrated from the adjoining Bhimber and Kotli districts after 1998 due to cross-LoC shelling and had been living on unoccupied government land in the Janyal area since 2006. Beneficiaries settled on government land near Mirpur in 2006 after fleeing 1998 cross-border shelling Addressing the gathering, the prime minister paid tribute to the affected families for enduring hardships and abandoning their homes in the face of what he des­cribed as “unprovoked and indiscriminate” shelling along the LoC. “From today, you are the rightful owners of the land where you have been living for years,” Rathore said, congratulating the beneficiaries. The prime minister also announced the establishment of a dispensary in the area. Mr Rathore noted that a similar initiative was undertaken during the previous PPP government led by former prime minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, when ownership rights were granted to refugees settled in Khaliqabad and adjoining areas. He said the notification issued for Janyal was in line with that earlier precedent. The prime minister expressed confidence that his party, the PPP, would succeed in the 2026 elections. “Today we have come to give you your rights; next time we will come to seek your vote,” he added, maintaining that intention held fundamental importance in politics and that God rewarded sincere intent. “Power, authority and the pen are meant to safeguard people’s rights, and the government will utilise all available resources to ensure public service,” Mr Rathore said. “Good leadership guarantees res­olution of problems,” he added. He said the PPP is a “party of the common people and believes in providing bread, clothing and shelter. He acknowledged that public trust in politics had weakened but said the PPP had worked to bridge that gap. “Our politics aims to provide all possible facilities to the people, and we will continue striving towards that goal,” he said. Earlier, speaking to another gathering in Kharri Sharif, Mr Rat­h­ore announced a series of development initiatives for the town, including granting it tehsil status and upgrading the Jatlan police post and a girls’ degree college. Taking a jibe at the rival PML-N party, he said its leadership was at odds with one another over the prime minister’s office, “whereas the PPP was engaged in a practical struggle to safeguard people’s rights”. “The government has not even fully begun its work in the field, and the opponents are already panicking; this behaviour shows they have mentally conceded defeat even before the elections,” he said. Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2026

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