MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assem­bly could not initiate proceedings for the election of the new leader of the house even on the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday.

The session was convened by the chair at 11am, and the assembly hall kept witnessing entry and exit of mebers from both sides, amid no signs of its commencement. By 6pm the legislators were informed that the house would meet at 7:30pm. While it met at about 8:55pm and after the recitation of the holy verses, the proceedings were adjourned till 2pm on Wednesday.

The opposition members raised objections to this practice.

Leader of the opposition Chaudhry Latif Akbar and PML-N president Shah Ghulam Qadir said: “If the PTI has a majority, why does it shy away from the constitutional process of elections for the new leader of the house?”

The opposition leader asked the government to realise the plight of all employees who have been on their toes since early morning.

On the other hand, political ploys and manipulations continued, with PTI claiming to have made up lost ground after return of some of its members from president’s camp.

Javed Butt, a lawmaker from a Kashmiri refugees’ constituency in Rawalpindi who had gone “missing” over the past two days, made an appearance before the media along with finance minister Abdul Majid Khan on Tuesday to reaffirm his allegiance to PTI. “I am committed to Imran Khan, and I will support and vote for whoever he picks for the prime minister’s office,” he said.

He said he owed his present status to Sheikh Rashid .

Mr Butt asserted that hardly four PTI lawmakers had gone astray, and they would face an “embarrassing debacle”.

Meanwhile, a group of three lawyers filed a petition in the high court seeking a direction to the speaker and other respondents to ensure prime minister’s election as per constitution.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2023