MUZAFFARABAD: In an unusual move, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on Friday held an informal meeting with his 12-member cabinet at the office of senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq.

“This is not a surprise check…I have just stopped here to see the offices of my cabinet members,” said Raja Haider in response to a question, as he alighted from his staff car at the entrance of ministers’ block on the premises of the civil secretariat.

Mr Haider said that since he did not believe in the formalities of protocol, he had been contemplating for quite some time stopping by the ministers’ block and observing his team members at work in their chambers.

A large number of people present on the occasion were taken by surprise on seeing the prime minister entering the ministers’ block.

Since Mr Haider had formed a small nine-member cabinet after taking over on July 31, almost all ministers were allotted offices in block-8, located nearly 300 yards away from the prime minister’s office in the civil secretariat.

On Thursday, he inducted three more ministers into his cabinet who were allotted offices in an adjacent block.

As they learnt that Raja Haider was in the chamber of the senior minister, they too rushed to block-8 to attend the informal meeting.

According to an official handout, a number of issues, including the working relationship between ministers and secretaries, reformation of the civil secretariat and improvement in its security, were discussed.

Mr Haider expressed dissatisfaction over the “poor” security and parking arrangements at the secretariat and established a special committee to look into and resolve these issues, the handout said.

Headed by the senior minister, the committee included principal secretary to the prime minister, secretary services and general administration, secretary physical planning and housing and DIG (headquarters).

Talking to Dawn, Chaudhry Farooq asserted that Mr Haider’s unexpected visit would bolster confidence and further improve the functioning of the cabinet members. He said the AJK PM had given due consideration to the submissions of the ministers on various issues.

Published in Dawn December 3rd, 2016