Azad Kashmir Suspends Salaries of Govt Employees

All government payments in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are set to be halted for two weeks next month as the region upgrades its SAP-based financial management system, according to a circular issued by the accountant general’s office.

The notification, signed by Additional Accountant General Mir Muhammad Asghar, states that the Directorate of Federal Accounts (FABs), Islamabad will carry out the upgrade, during which the SAP (Simple Application Product) system will remain offline. As a result, no payments will be processed through the system from January 6 to January 20.

To limit disruption, divisional and district accounts officers have been instructed to clear all receipted bills before the shutdown begins. The circular also directs them to clear claims and bills on a daily basis and ensure that the Bill Tracking Report (BTR) shows zero pending balance by January 5.

In a rare step, the usual weekly holidays on January 3 and 4 have been cancelled for accounts offices across AJK. All such offices will remain open on these days to speed up the processing and clearance of government payments prior to the system going offline.

Calling the exercise “most important,” the accountant general’s office has stressed strict adherence to the instructions so that inconvenience to government departments, employees, and vendors is kept to a minimum while the SAP system is being upgraded.