Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Raja Faisal Rathore on Tuesday was sworn in as the new prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a day after securing the assembly’s vote to replace the ousted Anwarul Haq.
Rathore was administered the oath by AJK Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Lateef Akbar, with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, senior party leader Faryal Talpur and other civil and military officials also in attendance.
After being sworn in, the newly elected premier thanked the PPP’s top leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Talpur, for entrusting him with the responsibility. “I pay tribute to the Pakistan Army, who are defending us by sacrificing their lives,” he said, adding the PPP has taken the responsibility of restoring the legislature’s relationship with the people.
On Monday, the AJK legislative body voted to remove Haq as the prime minister on a no-confidence motion submitted by the PPP. The motion was supported by 36lawmakers, including those from the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), while two opposed it. The PMLN has said that while it voted in favor of Rathore, it would sit on the opposition benches for the remaining tenure of the incumbent government.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, the PPP chairman congratulated the people of AJK for the restoration of politics in the region. He maintained that Rathore had witnessed the people’s protests firsthand and now carried their trust.
“The promises Faisal Rathore made to you are a trust placed with me,” he said, adding the new prime minister must now resolve the public’s issues. “You must fulfil the commitments you made to the people,” he directed Rathore.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also telephoned the newly elected AJK P.M. and congratulated him on his election victory. During the conversation, the premier said the uplift of the AJK people was among the federal government’s priorities. “We are determined to work with the AJK government for the welfare, economic development and security of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, assuring Rathore of the federal government’s all-out cooperation in this regard.
Rathore now becomes the 16th prime minister of AJK and the fourth of the current assembly.