No-confidence move: AJK PM resigns from office

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi resigned from his office on Thursday after a no-confidence motion against him was scheduled to be moved in the Legislative Assembly today (Friday).

A handwritten resignation was issued by his office, which was sent to AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, said that he had been accused of violating merit and good governance and he had decided to resign in a dignified manner, reported a private news channel.

The AJK PM said that not a single penny of the state was allowed to be tainted by corruption, adding that money was used in the Kashmir council elections and the fight started on bribe in Kashmir council tickets. He said five people showed Imran Khan’s fake letter and signed a no-confidence motion, adding that those who presented the motion were expelled from the cabinet.

Niazi said that after 20 years, local bodies elections were announced in Azad Kashmir and departmental reforms were introduced. Regarding the no-confidence against his government, he said he was not even found guilty in charge sheet, institutions were reformed as per the manifesto and he eliminated corruption from electoral cell.

It may be recalled that Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi had removed his five ministers from the ministry earlier on Thursday morning. According to sources, Sardar Abdul Qayyum, after sacking the ministers, also decided to resign from his seat. Those sacked included a senior-most minister and an adviser on the grounds of wrongdoing and dubious activities.

An order issued by the Prime Minister's Office signed by him said the senior-most minister Sardar Tanveer Illyas, Minister for Local Government Khawaja Farooq Ahmad, Minister Finance Abdul Majid Khan and Minister Food Ali Shan Soni had been sacked on the grounds of wrongdoing and dubious activities.

Another similar order said Adviser for Disaster Management and Civil Defence Ch. Muhammad Akbar Ibrahim had been removed from his office on the same charges and orders were marked to chief secretary for issuing notification of the same.

It may be recalled here that these ministers and advisers had submitted a no-confidence motion against AJK Prime Minister Niazi in the Legislative Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday. Consequently, the Speaker Ch. Anwarul Haq had summoned the session on Friday (today).

Later, sacked senior-most minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, who happens to be the president of PTI AJK chapter, cancelled the basic party membership of AJK Prime Minister Niazi. Niazi had called Imran Khan, the party head, on Wednesday at Banigala and expressed his grievances over the role of Ali Amin Gandapur in bringing a no-confidence motion against him by his own cabinet members and offered his resignation from the premiership. But, according to sources, Imran Khan directed him not to resign and constituted a committee, headed by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to look into the matter and submit the report to him before Thursday afternoon.