MUZAFFARABAD, March 7: The ‘Haqiqi’ group of the ruling Muslim Conference (MC) in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly stood virtually dissolved on Friday as all its three members and another MC legislator were sworn in as ministers, raising the strength of the cabinet to 19.

Before administering oath to the ministers, Mrs Noreen Arif, Haji Yaqoob Khan, Chaudhry Mohammad Aziz and Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed, President Raja Zulqarnain Khan also administered oath to MLA Raja Mohammad Siddique as the president’s adviser with the status of minister.

Mr Siddique has replaced Naseebullah Gardezi under Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan’s strategy to appoint maximum number of his lawmakers to coveted posts to “nip any move against him in the bud”.

Of the new ministers, the first three were also in the previous MC cabinet headed by Sardar Sikandar Hayat. They were, however, denied party tickets in the July, 2006, elections, which they contested and won as independent candidates and later formed the so-called ‘Haqiqi’ group. Ms Arif has the distinction of being the first woman directly elected to the assembly which otherwise has five special seats for women.

On Thursday, Minister for Social Welfare Shamim Ali Malick resigned from the cabinet but was immediately appointed as adviser to the premier. Apart from her, two more lawmakers were adjusted on Thursday as adviser and special assistant to the premier.

The new appointments have raised the number of elected advisers and special assistant to three and unelected advisers to two, all with the status and privileges of ministers.

Of the two posts of presidential advisers, one was filled by an MLA on Friday whereas the other incumbent is an academician.

With the adjustment of five more legislators, now the ‘only directly elected MC’s MLA from the Kashmiri refugees’ constituencies in Pakistan without any office is Abdul Majid Khan, whereas all other directly elected lawmakers of the party from the AJK territory, except Raja Farooq Haider, have become either ministers or advisers.

Mr Haider, who is regarded as a strong critic of the prime minister, heads the assembly’s Rules and Privileges committee.

Sources claimed that he had also been offered a cabinet berth which he declined.

Of the indirectly elected MLAs of the party, only three are without any office except being members of some house committees. They included Mahmood Riaz, Pir Attiqur Rehman and Nasrin Mazhar.

The premier hinted later in the evening that he would make one more induction in the cabinet.The new ministers had not been immediately allotted portfolios.