AJK PM Rathore’s 20-member cabinet sworn in

An 20-member cabinet of the newly elected Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was sworn in on Sunday.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the ceremony took place at 11 am at the President’s House in Muzaffarabad, where Acting President Chaudhry Latif Akbar administered the oath in the presence of the new premier.

Former prime ministers Sardar Haji Yaqoob Khan and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, members of the legislative assembly, senior political figures, and civil bureaucracy officials attended the event. 

Before the proceedings, Secretary of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) Zafar Mahmood read out the official notification of cabinet appointments.

According to the report, Mian Abdul Waheed was sworn in as the senior minister in the newly formed cabinet of AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore. Javed Ayub, Qasim Majeed, Bazil Naqvi, and Javed Iqbal Budhanvi took the oath during the ceremony. 

Diwan Ali Khan Chughtai, Malik Zafar, Zia-ul-Qamar, Muhammad Hussain and Chaudhry Rasheed joined the cabinet as well, while Nabeela Ayub, Chaudhry Yasir Sultan, Aamir Yasin and Chaudhry Arshad were among the other members sworn in. 

Rafiq Nayar, Muhammad Hussain, Ali Shan Soni and Faheem Akhtar Rabbani also became part of the cabinet. Advisers Sardar Fahad Yaqoob and Ahmad Sagheer took the oath of their respective offices.

Earlier today, the TV channel reported that the oath-taking, originally scheduled for yesterday, was postponed after two days of extended consultations failed to conclude on time.

Assembly members had rejected the initial proposal to appoint only 10 ministers, prompting further negotiations.

The discussions were led by senior PPP leader Faryal Talpur alongside Prime Minister Faisal Rathore, eventually resulting in a consensus on cabinet members and departmental assignments.

Sources said most ministers are expected to retain their previous departmental portfolios, though some adjustments may occur in the final distribution.

It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Rathore has also decided to cap the cabinet at 20 members, a significant reduction from the previous Anwarul Haq-led coalition government, which had more than 33 cabinet members.

The sources said after the ceremony, the prime minister will formally allocate portfolios among the ministers.

Reporter: Safeer Raza and Hashir Warriach