MUZAFFARABAD: Going back on his words, Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on Saturday made third expansion in his cabinet by inducting six more ministers, raising its strength to 26 - more than 50pc of the total membership of AJK Legislative Assembly.

With the fresh inductions - fourth since the inception of the PML-N government on July 31, 2016, - all except three of the 31 directly elected ruling party lawmakers have become flag-holders.

In all, the PML-N has 36 legislators in the 49-member house, including five elected against reserved seats. Two Jamaat-i-Islami lawmakers elected against reserved seats are PML-N allies.

The number of the directly elected PML-N legislators without a flag-wielding position will further shrink to two after election against the vacant position of deputy speaker in a couple of days.

All except three of the 31 directly-elected PML-N lawmakers are now cabinet members

Those who were administered oath by President Sardar Masood Khan on Saturday were Sardar Farooq Ahmed Tahir, Chaudhry Mohammad Ismail, Raja Mohammad Siddique Khan, Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi, Mohammad Ahmed Raza Qadri and Chaudhry Shahzad Mehmood.

It is believed that the notification about the portfolios would be issued after Prime Minister Haider’s departure to UK and Europe on Sunday in what would be reminiscent of the practice adopted at the time of previous expansion on April 14.

Of the new ministers, Mr Tahir was serving as deputy speaker since Aug 2016 while Mr Abbasi was chairman Public Accounts Committee since May 31 this year and Mr Mehmood as adviser to the prime minister since Sept 8.

Interestingly, Mr Qadri was also inducted in the cabinet in April along with seven other ministers but he had resigned in July over the allotment of a “useless” portfolio.

In his place, Mr Haider had appointed Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed on Sept 8 but he has not been allotted any portfolio so far.

Interestingly, three months before the second round of inductions in April, Mr Haider had declared that he would go home instead of expanding the cabinet beyond 12 ministers.

In June 2015, the AJK assembly had unanimously approved recommendations for constitutional reforms, authored by a special parliamentary committee comprising members from the then ruling PPP and opposition PML-N.

Among other things, the PML-N members of the committee had proposed that the cabinet should not be more than 25pc of the total strength of the assembly.

Under the 13th amendment bill passed in June this year, the strength of the cabinet was restricted to 30pc of the total membership of the assembly.

However, the PML-N government exempted itself from this ban by inserting a proviso that this restriction would take effect from the inception of the next assembly.

Criticising the fresh expansion, the PPP said the move had exposed fissures in the ruling party.

“Instead of improving the performance of government, the prime minister is raising an army of class after multiplying their perks and privileges,” said Chaudhry Latif Akbar, PPP regional president.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2018