MUZAFFARABAD: Eight recently inducted members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet got portfolios on Monday, according to a notification issued a day after Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider’s departure to the United Kingdom on a weeklong visit.

The local government and rural development was given to Raja Mohammad Naseer, who had also held the portfolio in the past two governments of Muslim Conference.

Retired Col Waqar Ahmed Noor was given planning and development, which was withdrawn from Minister for Finance and Health Dr Najeeb Naqi, and Chaudhry Javed Akhtar was given law, justice and parliamentary affairs, which was withdrawn from Minister for Electricity Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan.

However, the remaining five ministers were given insignificant portfolios.

They included Raja Abdul Qayyum, Auqaf and religious affairs; Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin Gulshan, Zakat and Ushr; Chaudhry Mohammad Ishaq, prisons; Chaudhry Masood Khalid, civil defence, and Mohammad Ahmed Raza Qadri, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

Interestingly, civil defence and SDMA fall under one administrative secretary and of late the government had been contemplating merging both the institutions. Similarly, the prisons department staff is said to be less than 50.

Meanwhile, Minister for Revenue Sardar Farooq Sikandar was given additional charge of population welfare, which was withdrawn from Noreen Arif, minister for trade, industries, social welfare and women development.

The new ministers had taken oath on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2018