Just three weeks before polls, AJK PM appoints three more advisers

By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, June 3: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Friday appointed three leaders of his Muslim Conference (MC) as his advisers with the status of minister, raising the number of unelected flag-holders in the region to six.
Chaudhry Mohammad Rasheed from Neelum Valley and Hassan Bashir Khan and Syed Bashir Andrabi from the Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan were administered oath by the premier at a ceremony in Kashmir House Islamabad.
The appointments which came just three weeks before the polling day drew flaks from the opposition parties.
However, interestingly, while the PML-N greeted the move with scathing criticism, response by the PPAJK was comparatively soft.
“These appointments amount to pre-poll rigging as the purpose is to manipulate the polls at the cost of taxpayers’ money and we call upon the chief election commissioner to take serious stock of it,” said PML-N chief organiser Raja Farooq Haider.
He alleged that Sardar Attique was already running a minority government and there was no need to burden the exchequer with the appointment of unelected advisers at a time when election was hardly three weeks away.
According to him, the AJK premier was taking these steps with the backing of the federal government which lent credence to his (Mr Haider’s) repeated allegations in the past in this regard.
However, when this scribe contacted PPAJK’s senior vice president Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin for his comments, he said: “It’s an immoral act but it’s the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint advisers.”
MC’s chief organizer Fida Hussain Kiani said the appointments were “neither immoral, nor unconstitutional.”
“He is prime minister till his successor enters upon this office and he can take any step for smooth functioning of his government,” Mr Kiani said.
It may be recalled that Sardar Attique has recently withdrawn his candidate in PPAJK president Chaudhry Abdul Majeed’s constituency under what was said from both sides a “policy of harmony and rapprochement.”
Similarly, the MC has also declared its support to Speaker Chaudhry Anwaar ul Haq, PPAJK candidate from Bhimber city.
Highly placed sources told Dawn that the premier wanted to appoint five advisers but his well-wishers in the federal government suggested him to cut short that number.
Earlier on April 30, the prime minister had appointed Deevan Chughtai and Malik Karamat from Hattian Bala and Kotli districts, respectively, as his advisers. Mr Chughtai is MC candidate in the June 26 polls. Prior to them, Raja Aftab Akram from Kotli, also an MC candidate, was appointed as adviser.
Appointments of such advisers in AJK are provided in the Rules of Business 1985. However, the AJK’s interim Act 1974 has mention of only one adviser - Plebiscite Adviser.
It may also be mentioned here that the current strength of Prime Minister Sardar Attique’s initially 23-member cabinet has reduced to 16, after the recent removals and resignations of 7 ministers.
Ends