MUZAFFARABAD: A cabinet member in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Tuesday announced that he had resigned from his position, citing “some unavoidable reasons”.

Pir Mazhar Saeed, the minister for information in the Chaudhry Anwar­­ul Haq-led coalition government, also shared a copy of his handwritten resignation letter addressed to the prime minister during a press conference at the Press Information Department. He was flanked by PID directors Am­­­jad Hussain Minhas and Mirza Bashir.

The outgoing minister expressed gratitude to the media fraternity acr­oss the state for extending full cooperation during his tenure. He asserted that he had made every possible effo­­rt to discharge his duties in accordance with national priorities and public interest.

“Despite numerous challenges, I st­­rived to make the Information Dep­a­rtment active and effective,” he said. “Whether it was the Bunyan al-Marsous issue or last November’s campa­ign (by a civil society alliance), we suc­­ceeded on every front by the grace of Allah.”

Pir Mazhar Saeed cites ‘some unavoidable reasons’ for the decision

He said that during his tenure he not only worked on internal fronts but also highlighted the Kashmir issue at the international level. “I presented the case of both Gaza and Kashmir before audiences in 45 countries and also participated in the Global Samud Flotilla, where I raised my voice for the people of Gaza,” he said.

He also thanked officers and staff of PID for their cooperation throughout his tenure, adding that several important initiatives had been achieved through the teamwork. He said his decision to step down was personal and made after due consideration, but vowed to continue his efforts for the national interest and public service in future.

Mr Saeed was elected by PTI lawmakers against a special Legislative Assembly seat reserved for religious scholars. When the PTI government plunged into crisis following the disqualification of then-prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas in April 2023, he joined the party’s so-called forward bloc.

In May last year, he was inducted into the cabinet as minister for information after serving as chairman of the prime minister’s inspection and implementation commission.

Recently, a seven-member federal negotiating committee had signed an agreement with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, which, among other things, pledged to reduce the size of the AJK cabinet from 36 to 20 members as part of steps to curb “elite privileges”.

Rumours are also rife that Mr Haq may be replaced by a PPP lawmaker with the support of the PML-N.

It was being speculated that Mr Saeed resigned in anticipation of a possible change in the government or a downsizing of the cabinet. Though he arrived at the press conference in a private car, there was no immediate word from the government regarding the acceptance of his resignation.

However, a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office told Dawn that the resignation had been “received but not yet accepted”.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2025