crisis persists in AJK as both sides stick to their guns

By Tariq Naqash

The deadlock between the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and Centre on the issue of return of the chief secretary and IGP persists, with no side showing any signs of flexibility in their stance.

“Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed has made it clear to all concerned that there will not be any compromise on this issue, come what may,” Shaukat Javid Mir, one of his spokesmen, told this scribe on Wednesday.

However, the Establishment Division secretary Shahid Rashid had written to Mr Majeed that postings and transfers of five lent officers – a term used for chief secretary, IGP, additional chief secretary (development), secretary finance and accountant general – was the “exclusive prerogative of the Government of Pakistan and the AJK government could not post any officer to against these positions.”

The letter was also copied to the office of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as Chief Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal and IGP Malik Khuda Bakhsh Awan. 

 Earlier in the day, Mr Majeed held closed-door meetings with his cabinet colleagues at his residence and an important meeting with secretaries to the government at his office.

“The prime minister told the secretaries that he had taken this step (surrendering the services of chief secretary and IGP) for the dignity and honour of state,” Mr Mir said, claiming that the secretaries assured in return that “they would follow the chief executive of the state and discharge their functions in accordance with the Rules of Business.”

Soon after the meeting, Chaudhry Munir Hussain, secretary Services and General Administration (S&GAD) became the first casualty of the crisis, as he was made OSD (officer on special duty) for his alleged reluctance to issue some notifications.

Khawaja Muhammad Ahsen, an additional secretary in BPS-20 in S&GAD, was transferred and posted as secretary S&GAD, an order Mr Gondal described as unlawful "because the summary was not routed through his office."

On Monday evening, the prime minister’s office had issued a directive to all secretaries, heads of the departments and administration and police officials that they should not follow the orders and instructions of “defunct” chief secretary and IGP or route any file through their offices as they had lost the trust of the AJK government.  

However, even when Mr Majeed was holding meetings in his office, Mr Gondal and Mr Awan were also sitting in their respective offices, located in the closest proximity to the prime minister’s office.

Meanwhile, there were indications that the PML-N was contemplating moving a no trust motion against Mr Majeed in next three days, with its president Raja Farooq Haider as successor to the incumbent premier.

The PML-N lawmakers were likely to hold a meeting with Premier Sharif on Thursday to seek his approval, something he had denied to them in July last year, according to insiders.

Ends