MUZAFFARABAD: PPP leader Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin was appointed leader of the opposition in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

A notification to this effect was issued by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat with consent from Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir.

According to sources, the speaker had received two applications for the position from the two groups in the small opposition.

Three members of the Muslim Conference (MC) and two PTI members had together proposed MC President Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and four PPP members and an independent member Chaudhry Ali Shan Soni together put forward Mr Yasin’s name, who held the office of senior minister in the previous government.

Using his discretion, the speaker appointed Mr Yasin on the grounds that he was nominated by the larger opposition group.

PPP secured three direct seats in the general elections as well as one seat reserved for women with help from PML-N.

In an unrelated incident, a member of the Jammu Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP) on Thursday announced severance of its alliance with the PML-N.

The announcement was made by JKPP chief Sardar Khalid Ibrahim, who has returned from Rawalkot City but is yet to take oath to the office, at a press conference in Islamabad in the wake of his differences with the PML-N over the latter supporting the PPP in getting a reserved seat.

Mr Ibrahim has also taken exception to the PML-N nominating former ambassador and his close relative Abdullah Khan as candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, as he had thought he would be offered the position.

Two senior PML-N lawmakers visited Mr Ibrahim Wednesday night at his Islamabad residence, requesting him to review his decision of severing the alliance with their party, but he declined.

When asked if the JKPP chief opted to join the MC-PTI group, would it not warrant changing the leader of the opposition, Speaker Qadir said this will remain to be seen at the appropriate time.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2016