Mirpur, President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, highlighted unemployment as the principal challenge in Azad Kashmir and emphasized the need for industrial development, especially in Mirpur, to provide job opportunities and achieve self-sufficiency. The remarks were made during a meeting with a delegation from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by its President Syed Sabir Hussain Shah.

According to President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Awan Sadr, Kashmir House, Islamabad, the meeting focused on discussing avenues for encouraging investment and industrialization in Azad Kashmir. Chaudhry, reflecting on his tenure as Prime Minister, noted the substantial investments and industrial growth achieved under his administration, a level of development that he claims was unmatched by subsequent governments. Now serving as President, he reiterated his commitment to offering comprehensive support and facilities to investors interested in the region.

The discussion also covered the state of various local infrastructure and industrial challenges, including the dry port, Rathoha Hariyam bridge, and the reclamation of 11 thousand plots by the Mirpur Development Authority. Chaudhry assured that the concerns of the Mirpur business community and the broader issues facing Azad Kashmir would be addressed promptly, underscoring Mirpur’s significance to him personally and to the region’s economic aspirations.

Present at the meeting were several key figures from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including Senior Vice President Chaudhry Kashif Nazir Bajar, Vice President Raja Muhammad Ashfaq Ratvi, and other notable members of the local business and industrial sector.