MUZAFFARABAD:
Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was elected the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday after Chaudhry Anwarul Haq was removed through a no-confidence motion in the state’s Legislative Assembly.
The PPP secured victory for its candidate with the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Rathore received 36 votes in the 53-member assembly, where only 44 legislators were present.
The AJKLA session began at 3pm with Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar presiding. On a motion by Law Minister Abdul Waheed, the rules were suspended to allow PPP lawmaker Qasim Majeed to move the no-confidence motion against Haq.
Following a brief debate, Speaker 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 short 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 take part in the voting, 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 his government’s foremost priorities. He thanked President Asif Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Faryal Talpur and Chaudhry Riaz, saying he would strive to honour the confidence placed 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, whom 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 make details of his bank accounts and property public. Declaring that his administration would be public-oriented and PPP-led, he pledged that within eight to nine months “we will perform in a way that ensures victory in the next election.”
Rathore also addressed the recent protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), acknowledging that negotiations had been held with the committee. “The committee is a reality that must be acknowledged,” he told the assembly.
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 settled in Pakistan. He announced recruitment through third-party testing and a new transport policy, directing that all excess government vehicles be deposited in the transport pool until a policy was finalised.
He pledged equal employment opportunities for women; judicial reforms; and the finalisation of agreements with the government of Pakistan regarding hydropower projects in AJK.
Rathore announced the regularisation of Grade-1 government employees along with an additional month’s salary. He reiterated support for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), expressing hope that their struggle would soon succeed.
Adopting a strict tone towards the 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 for women in public-sector recruitment and a 60-day remission in prisoners’ sentences.
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, welcome the new government’s positive measures, but strongly resist any attempt to undermine public rights or victimise government employees.
“We have no intention of toppling your six-month government,” he said, urging Prime Minister Rathore to immediately appoint the chief election commissioner for AJK.
