AJK PM sacks four ministers, adviser for filing no-trust motion

Ministers include Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, Abdul Majid Khan, Ali Shan Soni and Khawaja Farooq

Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi on Thursday sacked four ministers and an adviser who had brought a no-confidence motion against him.

The sacked ministers include Tanveer Ilyas, Abdul Majeed Khan, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Ali Shan Sohni and advisor Chaudhry Muhammad Akbar.

According to a notification, the said ministers have been sacked for 'misconduct, corruption and suspicious activities'.

Read: PTI members file no-trust motion against own AJK premier

The move comes after Niazi met party chairman Imran Khan after a no-confidence motion was filed against him, in which he apprised the party leader of the motives of the no-confidence motion and the conspiracy behind it.

A total of 25 members of the AJK Legislative Assembly of the ruling party had filed a no-confidence motion against the AJK premier on April 12.

The motion had been filed under Article 18 of the AJK's interim Constitution and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas had reportedly been nominated as the new leader of the House.

Niazi, 61, was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly on July 25, 2021, elections from Poonch district, which lies on the Line of Control (LoC).

His nomination superseded several top party leaders and strong candidates for the coveted post, particularly PTI Kashmir president and former premier Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, and billionaire Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.