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| Farooq Haider new PoK ‘PM’ | | | Early Times RWport
Jammu, Oct 22: After a week of political upheavals, Raja Farooq Haider Khan of the Muslim Conference was today elected as ‘Prime Minister’ (as the executive head of state is known there) of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Reports reaching here said In a tense parliamentary electoral exercise studded with hail and halts the nominee of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, MLA Raja Farooq Haider Khan, was elected as Leader of the House, and took oath of office as ‘Prime Minister’ of Pakistani Kashmir later in the afternoon.
‘President’ Raja Zulkarnain Khan administered him oath after he was notified as Leader of the House in a parliamentary vote in a morning session of the Legislative Assembly, chaired by Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir.
In a House of 48 members present, Raja Farooq Haider Khan secured 29 votes sending his rival Sardar M Yaqub Khan, a nominee of 4-party alliance, to bag just 19 votes. The ballot was secret conducted by the Chief Election Commission, headed by Justice Khwaja Muhammad Saeed.
Immediately after official notification he took oath of office as ‘Prime Minister’ in the ‘Presidency’ in a ceremony attended by MLAs, senior bureaucracy, media-members and political elite.
Later talking to the media ‘Prime Minister’ Raja Farooq Haider briefly spelled out the features of his government’s future policy, declaring that he would maintain good working relations with the federal government. Thanking President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the ‘Prime Minister’ invited both to visit soon the Pakistani Kashmir.
“Mutual consultation will be the hallmark of my government”, he told the media, announcing that he would not brook corruption in administration.
Raja Farooq Haider belongs to a noted political family. His father was a leading political figure, was president of the Muslim Conference. Both his mother and paternal uncle remained members of the PoK assembly in the politically turbulent seventies of the past century.
Regarding formation of his cabinet he said the process would naturally take a few days more. The outgoing Prime Minister Sardar M Yaqub in his parliamentary speech recounted his achievements and extended full support to the new premier.
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