Eight-Member AJK Cabinet Takes Oath in Muzaffarabad

MUZAFFARABAD: An eight-member cabinet of Azad Jammu and Kashmir took oath on Friday, completing the initial stage of government formation under newly elected Prime Minister Barrister Iftikhar Ali Gilani. Acting AJK President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq administered the oath at a ceremony held at the President House in Muzaffarabad.

The ministers inducted into the cabinet include Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi, Saqib Majeed Raja, Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, Waqar Noor, Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq, Raja Riyasat, Umair Naeem and Abdul Rehman Arain. Prime Minister Gilani, senior officials, political figures and other dignitaries attended the ceremony.

The induction comes days after Gilani was elected AJK prime minister on August 28 as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate. He secured 30 votes in the contest for leader of the House, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Mukhtar Abbasi, who received 14 votes. His election returned the PML-N to the centre of government in AJK and opened the process of forming a new administration.

The oath-taking formally brings the eight ministers into the Gilani-led government, although their individual portfolios had not been announced at the time of reporting. Allocation of departments will determine which ministers take responsibility for key areas such as public administration, development and social services and will mark the next phase in making the new cabinet operational.

Gilani has previously outlined governance, employment, transparency and development as priorities for his administration. He has also spoken about merit-based recruitment, curbing corruption and expanding the digital economy. The newly inducted ministers will be responsible for translating those commitments into departmental policies once their portfolios are formally assigned.

The new government assumes office with public expectations focused on employment opportunities, healthcare, education, infrastructure and delivery of basic services. Political stability will also remain important as the administration begins implementing its agenda and dealing with unresolved electoral and governance issues in the territory.

The cabinet formation is therefore more than a ceremonial development for AJK. It provides the prime minister with the ministerial team required to move from political transition to day-to-day administration. The effectiveness of the government will depend on how responsibilities are distributed, how quickly departments begin implementing priorities and how the administration coordinates with the legislative assembly.

The immediate next step is the formal assignment of ministerial portfolios. Once those responsibilities are announced, attention will shift to the government's early policy decisions and the implementation of its stated reform and development programme.