MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq made maiden appearance in his office on Thursday after returning to the seat of his government almost four weeks after assuming the coveted position.

Mr Haq, who had taken oath as the prime minister on April 20, had left for Islamabad and from there to his constituency in Bhimber the following day. From Bhimber, he returned to Islamabad after three days but preferred to stay in the federal capital over the next three weeks.

In his initial statements after taking oath, Mr Haq had reiterated his “commitment” to ensuring “good governance and frugality” in the state, apart from doing away with the protocol culture.

However, in a sharp contrast to his avowals, he not only camped himself in Kashmir House Islamabad, which many Kashmiris caustically refer to as AJK’s de facto capital, but also held cabinet and departmental meetings there, putting additional burden on the cash-strapped region in the form of travel and daily allowances of the bureaucrats and their subordinate staff.

According to official sources, the prime minister arrived in the capital after midnight and stayed in his previous official residence allotted as Legislative Assembly speaker situated hardly 500 yards away from the prime minister’s office.

What was surprising for many was his decision to arrive in his office by foot rather than moving in the prime minister’s cavalcade.

According to officially released pictures, a prayer meeting was held in the prime minister’s office and Mr Haq was presented a bouquet by senior minister Waqar Noor of PML-N, Nisar Ansar Abdali and Azhar Sadiq of PTI forward bloc and Chaudhry Latif Akbar of PPP.

Interestingly, Mr Akbar is still occupying the office of leader of the opposition in the AJK Assembly even though the PPP is a key constituent of the coalition government in AJK.

The picture also generated interesting comments on social media.

“The MLAs are presenting a bouquet to Prime Minister Anwarul Haq for his maiden appearance in office after 28 days as well as for his assurance to them that he will stay in Muzaffarabad for some days,” wrote one netizen.

Pertinently, Mr Haq is yet to appoint his press secretary or spokesperson to respond to the queries regarding his governance and government.

Vows to protect writ of govt

According to a handout, while presiding over a meeting of the secretaries in his office on Thursday, Mr Haq made it clear to them that none would be allowed to challenge the writ of the government and that postings and transfers of civil servants were the sole prerogative of the government and would be made on merit.

“Governments are not run by traditions and customs but by the constitution and laws. Executive authority does not necessarily mean that the head of the government has unlimited powers,” he said, adding it was quite unfortunate that misuse of law in AJK had brought the system to the brink of collapse.

“There is no democracy without accountability.”

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2023