Altaf Hamid Rao.
MUZAFFARABAD/MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : In quick befitting retaliatory response to the no-trust motion recently lodged against the incumbent AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi by 25 of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek – e – Insaf (PTI) members in Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly under serious charges, the Prime Minister Niazi Thursday sacked, with immediate effect, four of his cabinet colleagues and an Advisor including the senior most minister and the party’s fresh nominee for the top slot of the new Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Illayas on the severe charges of misconduct, wrong doings and malpractices, AJK Prime Minister has said in his written official order issued on Thursday.
Our Special AJK Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao reports from Mirpur that besides the Sr. Most Minister for Physical Planning, Housing and Tourism, three other ministers removed from their respective offices included Abdul Majid Khan, Minister for Finance, Cooperative and Inland Revenue, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Ali Shan Soni, Minister for Food and Advisor Ch. Muhammad Akbar for SDMA and civil defense.
The AJK Prime Minister removed about four members of his cabinet and an advisor in exercise of powers confirred under Article 14-A (3) of The Azad Jammu Kashmir Interim Constitution – 1974.
Niazi ordered the AJK Chief Secretary, also the Secretary Cabinet to issue the notification accordingly.
It may be added that the no-trust motion against the Prime Minister Sardar Qayyum Niazi was submitted by 25 law-makers from the treasury benches reportedly after the formal approval of the Party’s Supremo Imran Khan, who, at the same time, also nominated the Sr. Minister Sardar Tanveer Illayas as the Successor of the incumbent PM Qayyum Niazi, after smelling the proposed identical move from the opposition benches against the Prime Minister of the incumbent PTI government, in the 53-seat AJK Legislative Assembly.
Qayyum Niazi is going to face the no-trust motion in the State Legislative Assembly, lower house of the AJK Parliament, meeting on April 15, 2022 (Friday).
As reported earlier, no-confidence motion was Tuesday (April 12) submitted in Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly against the Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi of the PTI-led incumbent Azad government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaker Ch. Anwar ul haq of the Legislative Assembly, lower house of the AJK parliament, has summoned the house to meet in the State metropolis – Muzaffarabad on April 15 for further proceeding to this direction.
A total of 25 signatories to the no confidence move tabled under article 18 of the act 1974 interim constitution of Azad Jammu Kashmir – all belonging to the treasury benches, submitted the motion framing serious charges against the Prime Minister Sardar Qayyum Niazi – primarily the hand-pick of the PTI’s Supremo and former Prime Minister Imran Khan for the slot after July 26, 2021 AJK general elections, for nepotism lack of good governance by indulging in malpractices, irregularities, ruining merit, not highlighting Kashmir issue at relevant forums by categorically defying the manifesto of Pakistan Tehreek – e – Insaaf , the sitting ruling party in AJK.
The movers of the motion categorically contended that as such Sardar Qayyum Niazi has lost the confidence of majority of the house. They proposed Member of the Assembly and sitting senior most minister Sardar Tanveer Illayas as successor – the new leader of the house in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
A total of 27 members of the 53-seat AJK Legislative Assembly are required for maturing the no-trust motion against the sitting leader of the house.
Signatories to the no trust motion were Abdul Majid Khan, Muhammad Akber Ch Imtiaz Naseem, Tanvir Illayas, Shahida Muneer, Ali Shan Soni, Javed Butt, Rafique Nayyer, Nisaar Ansar Ibdali, Malik Zaffar, Ch. Ikhlaq, Yasir Sultan, Ch. Arshad Hussain, Faheem Rubani, Muhammad Rasheed, Riaz Ahmed, Maqbool Ahmed, Sardar Muhammad Hussain, Taqdees Gillani, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Muhammad Mazher Shah, Muhammad Iqbal, Azher Sadiq, Dewan Ali Khan, Ch. Akmal Sargala.
Independent observers in AJK believe that tug of war for power has begun in PTI, the ruling party in the State after sever breach reportedly development to the top ranks of the party’s AJK Chapter. “As such, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s AJK Branch has split into groups in the wake of the tug of power for power”, an Independent political analyst observed.