MUZAFFARABAD: Bringing an end to the long and nerve-racking waiting period, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has finally allocated portfolios to his 29-member cabinet, comprising lawmakers from PTI’s forward bloc, PPP and PML-N.

The notification regarding the allotment of portfolios was issued by the services and general administration department late on Monday — hardly an hour before midnight — four to six months after the induction of ministers in two phases.

Mr Haq, who was sworn in on April 20, had appointed Waqar Noor of PML-N and Raja Faisal Rathore of PPP as members of his cabinet the same day to meet a constitutional requirement. On June 25, he had inducted another batch of 27 ministers — eight from the PPP, three from PML-N and the rest from the PTI renegades.

However, portfolios were not allotted to any of the total 29 ministers, a move that started earning embarrassment to the ministers in the following days before the masses.

According to the detail of the allocation, from the ‘forward bloc’ Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq has been given communications and works while physical planning and housing has been allotted to Yasir Sultan Chaudhry, energy resources (electricity) to Chaudhry Arshad Hussain, higher education to Zaffar Iqbal Malik, health to Nisar Ansar Abdali, revenue, stamps, evacuee property to Chaudhry Mohammad Ikhlaq, agriculture and livestock to Sardar Mir Akbar, population welfare, irrigation and small dams to Sardar Mohammad Hussain, tourism, archaeology and mineral resources to Sardar Mohammad Hussain, hydropower generation to Chaudhry Mohammad Rasheed, elementary and secondary education to Deewan Ali Chughtai, forests to Mohammad Akmal Sargala, food to Mohammad Akbar Ibrahim, finance and cooperatives to Abdul Majid Khan, sports, youth and culture to Mohammad Asim Sharif and transport to Javed Butt.

The ‘forward bloc’ members, who held ministerial berths during the previous government of Sardar Tanveer Ilyas were given almost the same portfolios.

From the PPP, the coveted local government and rural development portfolio was given to Mr Rathore; law, justice, human rights and parliamentary affairs to Mian Abdul Waheed; Mangla Dam Housing Authority to Chaudhry Qasim Majeed; rehabilitation to Javaid Iqbal Badhanvi; disaster management and civil defence to Amir Yasin Chaudhry; Zakat and Ushar to Sardar Javed Ayub; social welfare and women development to Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi; environment to Aamir Abdul Ghaffar Lone and information technology to Sardar Ziaul Qamar.

From the PML-N, Mr Noor, the senior minister, was given services and general administration, while technical and vocational training authority was given to Sardar Aamir Altaf; industry, commerce, labour welfare, sericulture and printing press were given to Raja Mohammad Siddique while religious affairs and aqua were given to Mohammad Ahmed Raza Qadri. The prime minister had retained inland revenue and information.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2023