GILGIT: A six-member cabinet of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N took oath on Tuesday amid differences within the party over nomination of ministers.

Six members out of the seven-member cabinet notified on Monday were sworn-in during an oath-taking ceremony held at the Chinar Bagh here.

Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Chaudhry Barjees Tahir administered the oath.

Haji Akbar Taban, PML-N, GB general secretary, and victorious from Skardu-1 constituency, refused to take oath as a senior minister in the cabinet in protest against the leadership’s alleged refusal to appoint him as the region’s governor.

He said he had decided to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to convey his reservations over ‘unfair’ distribution of important seats among the districts.

Governor Barjees Tahir had forwarded a list containing names of cabinet ministers to the PM.

Those who took oath as ministers included Farman Ali from Astore district, Mohammad Wakil, Sobia Muqaddam and Janbaz Khan from Diamer district, Ibrahim Sanai from Ghanche district and Dr Mohammad Iqbal from Gilgit district.

Akbar Taban was also denied slots of speaker and deputy speaker, and was instead offered to become senior minister in the new cabinet.

Mr Taban is of the view that since the chief minister is from the Gilgit region governor should be from the Baltistan region.

It is to note that the new cabinet doesn’t include any member from Hunza-Nagar and Ghizar districts.

A source said the party had decided to appoint Mir Ghazanfar from Hunza-Nagar as next governor of GB.

When reporters asked Chief Minister Hafeezul Rahman why Akbar Taban didn’t take oath as senior minister, he said Mr Taban could not attend the ceremony because of death of a relative.

He added Akbar Taban would take oath soon.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015

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