MUZAFFARABAD, March 31: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has reshuffled the portfolios of his ministers and advisers and inducted nine new members into the cabinet. Notifications to this effect were issued by the Services and General Administration Depart-ment on Monday. After the induction the state now has the largest cabinet in its history.

The new ministers, advisers and special assistant to prime minister were appointed between March 6 and 15, raising the strength of the cabinet to 19 ministers, six advisers and one special assistant.

Five members of the cabinet have not been affected by the reshuffle. They are Minister for Electricity Malik Muhammad Nawaz, Minister for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Abdul Rashid Abbasi; Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr Najeeb Naqi; Minister for Local Govern-ment and Rural Development Raja Naseer Ahmed and Minis-ter for Revenue, Evacuee Pro-perty and Stamps Sardar Moha-mmad Naeem Khan.

The ministers whose portfolios have been changed are: (Trans-port and Tourism) Ali Shan Soni, (Communication & Works, Deve-lopment Authorities, Bagh City Development Project) Raja Moh-ammad Nasim Khan, (Industries and Mangla Dam Affairs) Chaud-hry Mohammad Yousaf, (Educa-tion, Schools) Chaudhry Moham-mad Aziz, (Youth, Culture and Sports) Chaudhry Akbar Ibra-him, (Azad Kashmir Mineral and Industrial Development Corpo-ration, AKMIDC and Azad Kash-mir Logging and Sawmills Corpo-ration, AKLASC) Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed, (Zakat, Ushr, Auqaf and Islamic Ideology Council) Hafiz Hamid Raza, (Forests) Mirza Shafiq Jaral, (Re-habilitation and Civil Defence) Sanaullah Qadri, (Information, Women Development and Cooperatives) Ms Noreen Arif, (Food) Abdul Qayyum Niazi, (Finance and Education, Colleges) Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan, (Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation) Syed Ghulam Murtaza Gillani and (Physical Planning & Housing, Rawalakot City Development Project) Sardar Yaqoob Khan.

The notification designates the following as: (special assistant for political affairs, prisons and labour) Chaudhry Mohammad Ismail, (adviser for armed services board, wildlife and environment) Major (retd) Munsif Dad, (adviser for small industries) Naheed Tariq, (adviser for Tevta, Information Technology and Muzaffarabad City Development Project) Abdul Majid Khan, (adviser for social welfare) Shamim Ali Malik, (adviser for Hydroelectric Board) Raja Mohammad Yasin and (adviser for Planning and Development) Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. Except for the last two, all others are members of the AJK’s Legislative Assembly.

The portfolios of home department and religious affairs which were earlier held by Raja Yasin and Hamid Raza respectively are now held by the prime minister himself.