MUZAFFARABAD:
Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was on Monday elected as the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after Chaudhry Anwarul Haq was removed through a no-confidence motion in the state Legislative Assembly.
The PPP ensured the victory of its candidate with the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Rathore got 36 votes in a 53-member assembly, where only 44 legislators were present.
The AJKLA session began at 3 p.m. under the chairmanship of President Chaudhry Latif Akbar. On a motion by Justice Minister Abdul Waheed, the rules were suspended to allow PPP lawmaker Qasim Majeed to present the no-confidence motion against Haq.
After a brief debate, President Akbar called for a vote. A total of 36 members, including eight from the PML-N, raised their hands in support of the motion. Two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers, Khawaja Farooq Ahmad and Abdul Qayyum Niazi, opposed it.
Ousted Prime Minister Haq, after delivering a brief speech, left the session along with five of his colleagues, including Mir Akbar, Azhar Sadiq, Sabiha Siddique and Imtiaz Begum.
Muslim Conference (MC) president Sardar Attique Ahmad did not take part in the voting, while Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party (JKPPP) members Hassan Ibrahim, Ansar Abdali and Muhammad Iqbal were among those absent.
In his first speech after being elected prime minister, Rathore said the development, progress and political stability of AJK would be the main priorities of his government. He thanked President Asif Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Faryal Talpur and Chaudhry Riaz, saying he would strive to honor the trust reposed in him by the party leadership.
He also expressed his gratitude to the establishment and leadership of the PML-N, as well as his mother and the people of his constituency, who he said played a vital role in his political journey to the post of Prime Minister.
Rathore said his election had ended the political deadlock in AJK and restored one-party government. “I know this power is a bed of thorns, not roses,” he remarked. “But with the support of the people, we can turn this bed of thorns into a bed of roses.”
He said he would soon make details of his bank accounts and assets public. Stating that his administration would be public-oriented and led by the PPP, he promised that within eight to nine months, “we will act in a way that will ensure victory in the next elections.”
Rathore also addressed the recent protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), acknowledging that negotiations had taken place with the committee. “The committee is a reality that must be recognized,” he told the assembly.
Describing the planned reforms, he said the JAAC had its own concerns, but added that he personally supported voting rights and reserving seats for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan. He announced recruitment through third-party testing and a new transportation policy, ordering that all surplus government vehicles be deposited into the transportation pool until a policy is finalized.
He promised equal employment opportunities for women; judicial reforms; and finalization of agreements with the Government of Pakistan regarding hydropower projects in AJK.
Rathore announced regularization of first-level government employees along with one month’s additional salary. He reiterated his support to the people of India in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), expressing hope that their struggle would soon be successful.
Adopting a strict tone towards the bureaucracy, Rathore said secretaries would be allowed only one official vehicle and would have to return all others. He said the number of government secretaries would be limited to 20 and all posts of special secretaries would be abolished. Civil servants below BPS-18 will no longer be allowed to use official vehicles, he added.
He also announced concessions for women in public sector recruitment and a 60-day sentence reduction for prisoners.
Earlier, PML-N President Shah Ghulam Qadir said his party voted for the PPP only to dismiss the Chaudhry Anwarul Haq government. He made it clear that the PML-N would remain in opposition, welcome the positive steps of the new government, but would strongly resist any attempt to undermine public rights or victimize civil servants.
“We have no intention of toppling your six-month-old government,” he said, urging Prime Minister Rathore to immediately appoint AJK Chief Election Commissioner.
