MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday suspended five members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, currently serving ministerial roles in the coalition government, from their party positions over alleged disciplinary violations.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting of regional office-bearers and ticket holders, which was chaired by PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir.

The PML-N holds eight seats in the AJK Assembly, with four members elected from constituencies in AJK, three from refugee constituencies in Pakistan and one female member nominated on a reserved seat.

Among them, the regional president Ghulam Qadir, former premier Raja Farooq Haider and Chaudhry Ismail were not part of the government.

Of the remaining five members, four were ministers and one adviser with ministerial status.

Party workers have long voiced concerns over the PML-N’s participation in the coalition government, fearing it could negatively impact their electoral prospects. However, ministers Waqar Ahmed Noor, Sardar Aamir Altaf, Raja Muhammad Siddique, Ahmad Raza Qadri and adviser Nisara Abbasi have resisted such calls.

Recently, they wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, requesting his intervention to allow them to continue their roles in the cabinet. They alleged that internal rifts within the party, rather than their cabinet positions, were the primary cause of the party’s struggles.

The letter, notably not addressed or copied to party supremo Nawaz Sharif, had drawn sharp criticism from workers on social media.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2025