The eight-member cabinet of the newly formed Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government was sworn in on Friday, marking the completion of the initial administrative structure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
Acting AJK President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq administered the oath to the new ministers at a ceremony held at the Presidency. Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani was also present, along with PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, members of the Legislative Assembly and others.
The ministers who took oath included Waqar Noor, Azhar Sadiq, Saqib Majeed, Dr Mustafa Bashir, Raja Riasat, Engineer Umair Naeem, Abdul Rehman Arain and Sardar Mir Akbar. The formation of the cabinet formally completes the initial administrative setup of the new government.
Shah Ghulam Qadir was the centre of attention during the oath-taking ceremony, with a large number of newly elected assembly members gathering around him. The ceremony was also attended by hundreds of people and PML-N workers, who witnessed the formal induction of their representatives into the cabinet.
The cabinet’s formation is expected to enable the government to move forward with its development, administrative and public welfare agenda. The new ministers will assume their respective responsibilities after portfolios are allocated.
Prime Minister Gilani assumed office on August 28 after being elected as the prime minister of AJK. With the cabinet taking oath, his government has now completed its initial administrative structure. Gilani also chaired a PML-N parliamentary party meeting, which was attended by Shah Ghulam Qadir.
