Pakistan is in serious economic trouble and on the verge of bankruptcy, but it seems to have other priorities as it continues to push the Kashmir issue against India. But narrative aside, the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) stands in stark contrast to the dire state of Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (POK) and reveals Islamabad’s fraudulent intentions. After the Government of India abolished article 370 in August 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir government received investment proposals worth an estimated Rs 15,000 crore from around 40 companies in the fields of information technology, defence, renewable energy, tourism, skills, education, hospitality and infrastructure.
While the newly created J&K Union Territory is on the rise its counterpart or POK getting an underdeveloped. In the last two years, the J&K government has achieved 100 percent electrification of households. Water connection reached 43 percent of rural households, twice the national average of 21 percent. A roadmap for 100% water supply to all 10,816 million rural households by December 2022 has been developed. While India is implementing a number of projects in J&K to meet the needs of the post-Covid economy, POK has faced significant budget cuts. In addition to China’s involvement in the region and its use of the land to further its strategic goals, there is widespread corruption. The federal government of Pakistan has done everything possible to appease China and is promoting the Beijing Economic Corridor through POK.
Muzaffarabad, the capital of POK also known as the twin capitals of J&K is way beyond any comparison with Srinagar or Jammu. For instance, in airports alone, POK has only two airports, J&K has four. There are 35 universities in J&K compared to six in POK. In POK, there are only 23 hospitals with questionable basic medical care, while 2,812 hospitals in J&K provide free medical care to residents. J&K has completed four new national highway projects while 10 new road and tunnel projects have been approved by the Union Ministry of Roads and Highways under the Bharatmala project. 25 road construction projects have either been completed or are about to be completed. Four more projects are expected to be completed by the end of the fiscal year. For 2022-2023, the UT of J&K has received a budget of 1.12 lakh crore (US$ 1.12 trillion) to boost its economy. Energy development received the most money in the budget, where education, housing and health are also given great attention. The J&K projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Package cost Rs 36,112 crore. POK’s budget for 2021-22, on the other hand, was 141 billion Pakistani rupees (511 million US dollars).
According to Abdul Majeed Khan, Pakistan’s finance minister, the federal government recently cut Pakistan’s development budget by 5.2 billion Pakistani rupees, which he said could create serious imbalances in the financial system. Pakistani ministers believe that the federal government’s plan to reduce budget funds could have an unmanageable impact on the financial system of POK and lead to impoverishment of the region. In short, POK is far behind J&K because India’s ideology is pro-development, while POK region is used by Pakistan as a centre of terrorism. The world has witnessed and we are a part of it too.
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