MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appointed Ch Mohammad Yasin as party’s regional president in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with immediate effect, it was announced on Wednesday.

Mr Yasin has replaced senior parliamentarian Chaudhry Latif Akbar who had held this office for four years.

Early last month, Mr Akbar assumed the office of the leader of the opposition in AJK Assembly in accordance with the decision of partyleadership after the PPP emerged as the largest opposition group with 11 members followed by the PML-N with seven members.

Mr Akbar’s replacement had become due as, according to the party’s decision, no leader could hold both the offices simultaneously.

Mr Yasin who belongs to Kotli district and is also a senior parliamentarian had been associated with PPP since early 1990, initially as an ally and later as a member.

Since 1990, he contested seven elections from his Charhoi constituency and remained successful in five.

In the latest 2021 general elections, Mr Yasin returned from two constituencies of Kotli district. However, he chose to quit his native Charhoi seat from where he is most likely to field his son.

Mr Yasin was a minister in the PPP governments of 1990-91 and 1996-2001 and senior minister in 2011-16.

From 2016 to 2021, he held the office of leader of the opposition in the PML-N dominated assembly.

On the other hand, Mr Akbar also expressed his gratitude to Mr Bhutto-Zardari for retaining him as regional president for four years.

“I have tried my level best to have the confidence of the chairman [and] I believe I have been successful in it,” he said in a brief message.

Renewing his allegiance to the party and its chairman, Mr Akbar vowed to extend full cooperation to the new body.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021