An altercation between two senior members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet on seating arrangements during a meeting here on Wednesday stirred up serious trouble for Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, who later pulled all the stops to defuse the potentially explosive situation but to no avail, at least for the time being.
It all happened at the third quarterly review meeting of Annual Development Programme for 2013-14 in the committee room of civil secretariat under the aegis of AJK Planning and Development (P&D) department, with PM Majeed in the chair.
The organisers had placed the chair of minister for finance and P&D Chaudhry Latif Akbar next to that of the prime minister, followed by senior minister/minister for local government and rural development (LG&RD) Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin and other cabinet members. On premier’s left side were the seats of chief secretary, secretary P&D and other senior officials.
According to witnesses, the senior minister who arrived at the meeting along with the premier got angry at the placement of his chair after that of the finance minister, conjecturing that it was a deliberate attempt to undermine his status and protocol.
He whispered in the ear of the finance minister and dragged and placed his chair with that the prime minister, witnesses added.
In the meanwhile, as recitations from the holy Quran were finished, Mr Yasin started shouting against the finance minister, notwithstanding premier’s gestures by for restraint.
“Your role has always been negative… You have always created problems for me but I have tolerated,” he shouted, according to witnesses.
“Who you have dubbed me as malevolent? You are yourself a malevolent. I never talk like this,” added the senior minister, possibly in retaliation to some remarks by Mr Akbar, inaudible to other participants.
On this, Mr Akbar rose to his seat and walked out of the committee room in protest.
While he was on his way out, minister for college education Matloob Inqilabi took strong exception to the outbursts of Mr Yasin, followed by minister for works Chaudhry Rasheed and minister for Mangla Dam affairs Mohammad Hussain Sargala.
They all also walked out to express solidarity with Mr Akbar.
Health minister Sardar Qamaruz Zaman also joined them, but only after making a brief speech. “I have already been saying that this government is failure and I endorse those who have walked out,” he said.
Mr Yasin and three other cabinet members – Pervaiz Ashraf, Afsar Shahid and Abdus Salam Butt – however stayed behind.
Chief secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal rushed outside to bring the angry cabinet members back, but in vain, following which the meeting was postponed and Mr Majeed himself drove to Mr Akbar’s office in the old P&D building, where over a dozen ministers had gathered by then, to cool him down.
However, an angry finance minister told the premier: "Enough is enough."
“I have made a decision that I cannot continue in your cabinet,” he added, according to sources present there.
When the prime minister was holding talks with Mr Akbar, around 10-15 activists ransacked the office chambers of Mr Yasin in the adjacent building. Amid slogans against Mr Yasin, they also roughed up two resistant peons. The act was later condemned by Mr Akbar.
Sources said as prime minister returned to his office, Mr Yasin called on him to voice his grievances. He maintained that Mr Akbar was at odds with him due to withdrawal of hydropower generation portfolio and accused Mr Akbar of having received kickbacks against some projects.
It may be recalled that Mr Yasin was given the charge of Hydro Electric Board (HEB), recently renamed as Power Development Organisation, in April 2012. However, in October last year, it was withdrawn from him and given to Mr Akbar. In March this year, it was again given to Mr Yasin, reportedly on the advice of PPP central leadership.
Mr Yasin was also adamant about registration of cases against the miscreants who had ransacked his office, disrespected national flags and portraits of central leadership.
However, sources said police were told to put the issue on hold.
Later in the afternoon, Mr Majeed also visited the residence of Mr Akbar along with some other ministers in his desperate bids to normalise situation.
In a statement issued later, Mr Yasin maintained that the government was strong under the leadership of Mr Majeed and differences or difference of opinion were a routine matter in a democratic party.
“However, fanning petty difference and provoking workers was neither in the interest of party nor its government,” he said.
According to sources, Mr Majeed has convened the parliamentary party meeting here at 9 am on Thursday. Chaudhry Riaz, an aide of MNA Faryal Talpur who calls the shots in AJK, had also reached here to attend the meeting.
Ends
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