MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 5: A tacit understanding between the opposition People’s Party (PPAJK) and the ruling Muslim Conference (MC) became evident in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly here on Friday after the two sides approved with majority a resolution greeting the candidature of Asif Ali Zardari in the presidential election.

While the two present lawmakers from opposition’s second largest group – People’s Muslim League – had already walked away from the hall, the only dissenting vote on the resolution came from the ruling party’s outspoken leader Raja Farooq Haider.

The resolution on Mr Zardari was not part of the printed agenda which instead contained two other resolutions, one about the Occupied Kashmir situation and the other about AJK assembly’s membership in Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

These two resolutions were tabled by the government as a ‘face saving’ but the actual business of the session was to welcome Mr Zardari’s candidature, something AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan had pledged to the PPP co-chairman during their late Tuesday night meeting in Islamabad.

After the house approved the resolutions on agenda, leader of the opposition Sardar Qamaruz Zaman sought the chair’s permission to introduce his resolution about Mr Zardari. The house had to suspend rules for the purpose after the procedural requirement was pointed out by Mr Haq.

Later, in his speech Mr Haq blasted the AJK government for its “hypocrisy” maintaining that the government should have taken courage to include the resolution in the agenda to honour its commitment with Mr Zardari instead of using Kashmir issue to summon the session.

In yet another disturbing speech for the government, Raja Farooq Haider not only questioned the justification of tabling the resolution but also the “opportunism” of MC leadership.

He said he was not against the PPP or Mr Zardari but “he could not digest some issues such as support by MC to the candidate of a traditionally rival party (PPP)”.

Recalling the excerpts of Sardar Attique’s speech on the floor of house on February 5, 2007 during which he had referred to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as “Sita Ram”, Mr Haider asked how the premier was now supporting Sita Ram’s son-in-law?

Mr Haider also pointed out that the AJK assembly was not part of the electoral college and hence should not have taken up an issue that was not in its purview.

In his concluding speech, Prime Minister Sardar Attique, however, threw his full support with “full moral courage” behind the resolution because “he believed that there should be complete coordination between the presidency and the office of prime minister in Pakistan.

Protest against merit violation: Hundreds of people staged a demonstration in the hometown of Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Friday to protest against the alleged favouritism in recruitment of female teachers for the area.

The demonstration was organised by opposition People’s Muslim League (JKPML) in Dhirkot, some 55 kilometres south of here during which traffic on the highway connecting Muzaffarabad with Bagh and Rawalakot districts came to a standstill for about an hour.

The protesters also chanted slogans against the education department for alleged violation of merit and rules.

Earlier, around 50 demonstrators visited the office of deputy district education officer in the town and tore apart merit list terming them fictitious.

PML secretary information Raja Sajjad told Dawn that around two months ago tests for the 60 posts of primary teachers were held but the education department did not issue any merit list and instead continued to make appointments clandestinely, mostly of the relatives of Muslim Conference leaders and local education department officials.

He alleged one Taimur Abbasi appointed by the prime minister as his coordinator in district Bagh had a major role in the ‘controversial appointments’ for which he had also been taking bribes from the beneficiaries.

According to him, less qualified girls were preferred over postgraduate candidates on the basis of nepotism and political considerations.