Nine members of AJK cabinet sworn in

Tariq Farooq takes charge as senior minister; portfolios of others to be announced later

MUZAFFARABAD: Nine members of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet were sworn in on Saturday at the President’s Secretariat.

AJK President Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan administered oath to the newly appointed ministers, all of whom are members of the Pakistan Mulsim League Nawaz (PML-N).

Tariq Farooq was the only minister whose portfolio was revealed. Farooq has been appointed as a senior minister, which makes him eligible for the post of acting prime minister when the premier is away from the valley. Other ministers whose oath was administered included Farooq Sakindar, Barrister Iftikhar Gilani, Dr Najeeb Naqi, Raja Nisar, Chaudhry Muhammad Aziz, Noorin Arif, Mushtaq Minhas and Mir Akbar. However, it is expected that their portfolios would be announced later.

AJK Prime Minister Farooq Haider Khan and Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir were also present during the ceremony.

On the occasion, Senior Minister Tariq Farooq said that Prime Minister Haider will consult the senior party leadership to expand the cabinet in the coming weeks.

Barrister Iftikhar Gilani is the youngest member of the current AJK cabinet. Barely 36 years old, Gilani said that he and his other cabinet colleagues will work under the vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to empower the youth of the valley.

Some senior lawmakers of the PML-N boycotted the ceremony after they were not accommodated in the cabinet.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2016.