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Thursday March 28, 2024

New AJK chief executive: IK pulls a surprise, front runners left with sullen faces

By Tariq Butt
August 05, 2021
New AJK chief executive: IK pulls a surprise, front runners left with sullen faces

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s choice of the inexperienced and relatively obscure Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi as the next Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) premier has surprised, if not shocked, all and sundry including many among the newly elected members of the AJK Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Not long ago, even the prime minister had been surprised over the presence of a Niazi as a PTI candidate in AJK while reading out the names of the party ticket holders during his public meeting in AJK.

His spontaneous remark at the time that Niazis seem to be everywhere, had given the impression that he did not know of Niazi before. By declaring him the PTI’s prime minister and ignoring the other powerful contenders, Imran Khan has shown that he did not accept any kind of pressure from the leading figures of the AJK chapter of his party.

Imran Khan’s surprise selection of Niazi is no different from his 2018 preference for Sardar Usman Buzdar, also called Wasim Akram Plus, and Mahmood Khan as the chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respectively. He has always staunchly defended these decisions in the face of much criticism.

Niazi’s selection has left the real ‘titan’ of Kashmir politics — Barrister Sultan Mahmood — who is the president of the AJK chapter of the PTI, with a sullen face. As the regional party head, he had selected almost all the candidates that the PTI sponsored in the July 25 elections. In some cases, he had insisted on awarding tickets to certain aspirants who made it to the AJK Legislative Assembly (AJKLA), proving that his decision was correct.

The second potential contender, billionaire Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, is also naturally disappointed and crestfallen at the decision. He had decided to contest the AJK election for the first time with the sole objective of becoming the prime minister, as he was otherwise quite comfortable being an adviser to the Punjab chief minister on investment. He had not jumped into the electoral arena to become just a member of the AJKLA or even a minister in the new cabinet. He is believed to have pressed into service all his sources and resources in not only getting himself elected but in the victory of some other PTI candidates.

Tanveer Ilyas was the only PTI candidate who had earned flak from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who repeatedly described him as another “ATM” of Imran Khan during her campaign speeches. His constituency was also the first one where the prime minister had held his public rally to give a boost to the PTI’s electioneering.

In past elections, the man heading the winning party in the region had always become the prime minister. The outgoing premier, Raja Farooq Haider, chairs the AJK branch of the PML-N. In the present case, Niazi is only central joint secretary of the PTI and is not known to enjoy a high profile within his party or AJK politics.

There are indications from PTI that Barrister Sultan Mahmood could be elected the AJK president when the five-year tenure of the incumbent Masood Khan, a former ambassador, expires after one year. Khan was sworn in as the president in August 2016.

Niazi had once served as an AJK minister after being elected to the AJKLA for the first time. He had made it to the AJKLA only in the 2006 general elections and had lost every other poll. He is considered extremely lucky to get the top office that was not possible for him to clinch while remaining in any other political party. Before joining the PTI in 2019, he was associated with the Muslim Conference throughout his political career. The PTI is the second party he has aligned himself with.

During a chat with old-timers familiar with the AJK political scene, it turned out that Niazi’s brother used to be a leading politician who had been elected to the AJKLA multiple times. Prime Minister Imran Khan held long deliberations and personally interviewed over half a dozen hopefuls to opt for one of them. At the end of the day, he sprang a surprise. He kept his preference a closely guarded secret till the last moment. He did not drop even a slight hint to any of the interviewees about his choice of AJK prime minister.

Just a few minutes before the filing of the candidacy papers for the office of the prime minister, it was disclosed that Niazi was the PTI’s candidate for the slot. Had the nomination been made public a day or even a few hours earlier, the PTI could have encountered some unexpected scenes. When Niazi’s name was announced, no time whatsoever was available to the surprised lawmakers to think about any other option.