Abdul Qayyum Niazi sworn in: Imran selects a ‘saints & sufis’ lover as AJK PM

By News desk

MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, after detailed deliberations, named Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi as the next prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

For the purpose of nominating the next AJK premier, Imran Khan had interviewed Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas and Khawaja Farooq, among others.

The nomination of Abdul Qayyum Niazi was a surprise for many, as other big names were ignored. Abdul Qayyum Niazi is known as a lover of saints and Sufis. He is regarded among special disciples of Shah Suleman Noori Hazoori, a saint from Qadria descent, who is buried in Bhalwal tehsil of Sargodha.

On Wednesday evening, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi swore in as new prime minister of AJK at the President House. President Sardar Masood Khan administered the oath to him. The ceremony was attended by Federal Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI leaders, notables, MLAs and high officials. Latter, a smartly turned out contingent of the AJK Police presented guard of honour at the President House.

Earlier, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi was elected 13th Prime Minister of AJK by securing 33 votes out of 48 members present in the assembly, while the opposition’s joint candidate from the PPP Chaudhry Latif Akbar secured 15 votes.

In the morning, his nomination papers were filed after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced his name through a letter to the parliamentary party read out by Ali Amin Gandapur. Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi was elected member from LA-18 Abbaspur, a constituency located along the Line of Control (LOC), with a lead of more than 8,000 votes against his rival PMLN candidate

Ch Yaseen Gulshan. He was earlier elected member in 2006 elections on Muslim Conference ticket and served as Minister for Food and Forest in the cabinet of former prime minister Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan. His elder brother Sardar Mustafa Khan was also a member from this constituency in 1985. He is political worker and was first elected as member strict council in 1980, and later in 2006 on Muslim Conference ticket. In 2011 and 2016 elections, he couldn’t win on Muslim Conference ticket and in 2018, he joined the PTI.

Ali Amin Gandapur felicitated Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi on his election as AJK prime minister.

In a statement, Gandapur said Niazi being a seasoned politician would play a vital role in implementing the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan in AJK.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill also felicitated Abdul Qayyum Niazi, and said he would prove to be the best representative of brave Kashmiris.

Meanwhile, senior PTI leader Tanveer Ilyas took oath as senior most minister after the oath taking of the AJK prime minister. Names of other cabinet members will be announced later by the AJK prime minister after consultation with Prime Minister Imran Khan.