By Tariq Naqash

MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 12: The AJK Legislative Assembly passed a no-confidence motion against Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir on Thursday.

The speaker's ouster was a foregone conclusion after Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, who heads the Muslim Conference (MC), entered into an informal alliance with 19 MLAs belonging to different parties and groups and was re-elected to the post of prime minister, ousting Raja Farooq Haider.

In the power struggle, Mr Ghulam Qadir supported the losing side.

Lawmakers from both sides expressed the views on the no-confidence motion against the speaker. Nine lawmakers of the PML-N did not take part in the voting held through secret ballot.

Mr Qadir, elected from a Kashmiri refugees' constituency in Rawalpindi, said in his speech that he was satisfied that he had discharged his responsibilities to the best of his abilities.

Sardar Farooq Ahmed Tahir of the MC, who presided over the session, announced the motion against Mr Qadir had been adopted by 35 votes.

AJK PML chief Barrister Sultan Mahmood and two MLAs each from the MC and PPAJK did not show up.

Mr Qadir is the second speaker since 1975, when the parliamentary form of government was introduced in AJK, to have been ousted through a no-trust motion. In June 1998, (late) Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore was ousted by his own People's Party.

The post of speaker is likely to be filled by Chaudhry Anwaarul Haq, from Bhimber.