MUZAFFARABAD: Dealing a blow to the aspirations of the coalition government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday asked the members of his parliamentary party not to support or vote for any amendment to the territory’s Constitution, sources in his party confirmed.
The coalition government comprising the renegades of PTI and the combined opposition of PPP and PML-N, took charge on April 20, after disqualification of ex-PM Tanveer Ilyas by court.
Soon after his oath, the new prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq had appointed Waqar Noor of PML-N as senior minister and Faisal Rathore of PPP as minister without portfolios.
Sources claimed that according to a deal between Mr Haq and the combined opposition the 12-member PTI ‘forward bloc’ was to get six ministries, the PPP was to get six ministries and speakership and the PML-N was to get four ministries. But as more PTI renegades also jumped on the bandwagon, Mr Haq was feeling difficulty to adjust them, “as all were eager to grab ministerial berths,” sources said.
It was why Mr Haq had convinced his allies to help him get rid of a constitutional bar to expansion of cabinet, or else the coalition could not get its nominee elected as speaker.
According to Article 14(1) of the AJK Constitution, … the total strength of ministers shall not exceed 30 per cent of the total membership of the Assembly,“ which is 53 currently. Two each advisers and special assistants can be appointed in addition to 16 ministers.
On Wednesday, an official press release disclosed that Mr Haq-led cabinet had approved an amendment in Article 14 (1) to increase the number of ministers. The government indicated that it would summon the Assembly session on Thursday to table the amendment bill. But until Wednesday evening no official notification was issued.
Sources in PML-N told Dawn that Mr Sharif had conveyed this message to party’s regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir who had subsequently passed it onto Mr Haq.
Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2023
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