PML-N’s Raja Farooq Haider takes oath as AJK PM

Raja Farooq Haider was on Sunday elected for the coveted office of Prime Minister by the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Assembly, Express News reported.

According to reports, the newly-elected leader of the house secured 38 of a total 48 votes in AJK Assembly.



Haider was nominated by the PML-N for the post of AJK premiership after the ruling party claimed a landslide victory in the general elections for the 49-seat AJK Legislative Assembly, bagging as many as 31 seats and a clear majority.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Muhammad Yaseen of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Dewan Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, a joint candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muslim Conference also contested for the slot.

Earlier, journalist-turned-politician Mushtaq Minhas had been among those who were being tipped to become next AJK premier. However, Haider was unanimously backed by 30 newly-elected parliamentarians for the slot of parliamentary leader during a meeting in Muzaffarabad on Sunday.



The elected leader of the house took oath of his office in Muzaffarabad, according to Radio Pakistan. AJK President Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan administered the oath to newly elected prime minster at graceful ceremony in AJK Assembly.

Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Mehtab Abbasi, Senator Saleem Zia, MNA Malik Shakeel, Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir, Former prime minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, Siddique ul Farooq, Marvi Memon, Hanif Abbasi, federal ministers Barjees Tahir, Ahsan Iqbal, members of AJK Assembly, Kashmir Council and party leaders, high ranking officials and large number of people attended the ceremony.