MUZAFFARABAD:
Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was on Monday elected the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after Chaudhry Anwarul Haq was removed through a vote of no confidence in the state legislature.
The PPP secured its candidate’s victory with the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Rathore got 36 votes in the 53-member assembly where only 44 legislators were present.
The AJKLA session began at 15.00 with Chairman Chaudhry Latif Akbar. On a motion by Law Minister Abdul Waheed, the rules were suspended to allow PPP legislator Qasim Majeed to move the no-confidence motion against Haq.
After a short debate, Chairman 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.
Deposed Prime Minister Haq, after delivering a brief speech, walked out of 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 participate in the vote, while Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPPP) members Hassan Ibrahim, Ansar Abdali and Muhammad Iqbal were among those absent.
In his maiden speech after being elected Prime Minister, Rathore said that development, progress and political stability in AJK would be the top priorities of his government. He thanked President Asif Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Faryal Talpur and Chaudhry Riaz and said he would strive to honor the trust reposed in him by the party leadership.
He also expressed gratitude to the establishment and the PML-N leadership, as well as to his mother and the people of his constituency, who he said had played a vital role in his political journey to the premiership.
Rathore said his election had ended the political deadlock in AJK and restored a single-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 announced that he would soon publish details of his bank accounts and property. He declared that his administration would be public-oriented and PPP-led, promising that within eight to nine months “we will act in a manner that ensures victory in the next election.”
Rathore also addressed the recent protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and acknowledged that talks had been held with the committee. “The committee is a reality that needs to be acknowledged,” he told the gathering.
Outlining planned reforms, he said the JAAC had its own concerns, but added that he personally supported voting rights and reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees settling in Pakistan. He announced recruitment through third-party testing and a new transportation policy that mandated all surplus government vehicles be deposited in the transportation pool until a policy was finalized.
He promised equal employment opportunities for women; judicial reforms; and the finalization of agreements with the Government of Pakistan regarding hydropower projects in AJK.
Rathore announced the regularization of Grade-1 government employees along with an additional monthly salary. Reiterating support to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), he expressed hope that their struggle would soon succeed.
Adopting a stern tone on bureaucracy, Rathore said secretaries would be allowed only one official vehicle and must return all others. He said the number of government secretaries would be capped at 20, with all special secretary posts abolished. Officials below BPS-18 would no longer be allowed official vehicles, he added.
He also announced concessions to women in public sector recruitment and a 60-day exemption for prisoners.
Earlier, PML-N President Shah Ghulam Qadir said his party had voted for the PPP only to remove the Chaudhry Anwarul Haq government. He clarified that the PML-N would remain in opposition, applauding the new government’s positive moves but strongly oppose any attempt to undermine public rights or victimize government employees.
“We have no intention to topple your six-month government,” he said, urging Prime Minister Rathore to immediately appoint the Chief Election Commissioner of AJK.
