No-trust move by PTI against own PM in AJK

ISLAMABAD: As many as 25 members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday filed a no-confidence motion against their own Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, accusing him of failing to implement the party manifesto and creating a mess.

The motion, which has been filed under Article 18 of the Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, says Niazi has lost the confidence of the parliamentary party due to non-implementation of the party manifesto, mismanagement, nepotism and breach of merit and failure to highlight the Kashmir issue.

The AJK legislature consists of 53 members. The PTI and its two allies have 34 members and the rest belong to the opposition parties. The PTI MLAs have proposed the name of Sardar Tanveer Ilyas for the PM’s slot under the Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He is the PTI regional head. Minister for Local Government and Rural Development AJK Khwaja Farooq Ahmed, tweeted: “It is clear that the no-confidence motion in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been submitted after the advice and approval of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and we are united under Imran Khan’s leadership.”

The general elections were held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir last year and the PTI emerged as the majority party and Imran surprised everyone by nominating an unknown leader, Abdul Qayyum Niazi, as the prime minister, displeasing some other aspirants of the post including the incumbent AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry.