Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir – Newly elected councilor Sardar Rashid Afraz has accused the city government of Rawalakot of failing to pass the budget and of trying to coerce councilors into signing off on it without a meeting. Azadi Times reported on thursday.
Afraz said that he and his colleagues have resigned from all the committees of the city government and are now considering calling a press conference to outline their grievances.
He also said that the city government is effectively in a minority, as he and his colleagues have withdrawn their support.
The budget for the new financial year has not yet been passed, and Afraz has called on Mayor Municipal Corporation Rawalakot to take a vote of confidence from the councilors.
“The elected city government should abandon the policy of running the municipal corporation in the old way,” Afraz said. “We believe that the funds of the institution should be spent on public welfare projects in Rawalakot city and corporation ward on first priority.”
Afraz said that the people of the area could not see the change that they should have seen after the local elections.
“On the one hand, the government of Azad Kashmir and the members of the assembly are not ready to give funds and powers to the councilors,” he said. “The oppression from above is that the elected government is also in the process of sabotaging the opinion of the councilors.”
Afraz said that he and his colleagues will soon hold a press conference to outline their grievances in detail.
“The legal and ethical requirement is that Mr. Mayor Municipal Corporation Rawalakot should take a vote of confidence from the colleagues,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether the city government will be able to pass the budget and regain the support of the councilors. However, the current situation is clearly causing a great deal of uncertainty and discontent in Rawalakot.