Who Pushes the AJ&K cart?

By Mazhar Iqbal

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Yaqoob Khan resigned from office on Wednesday night, just a few hours before a no confidence motion, which was to be voted on Thursday. Sardar Yaqoob said he had done so to avoid political controversy in the legislative assembly. The opposition benches had moved a no confidence motion against him.

He also announced dissolution of his cabinet and said that he could be the candidate for prime minister’s office again.

Governments in AJK (Pakistan administered part of Jammu & Kashmir) have never been free, independent and self supporting. Despite the fact that governance has always been at the mercy of whimsical attitude of those who sit in the power corridors of Islamabad and Murree ( the headquarters of a mountain division of Pakistan Army is permanently based here), the local politicians of Pakistani Kashmir could equally be blamed for a continuous saga of bad gove4rnance, poor administration and mismanagement. The AJK brands of almost all of the mainstream political parties of Pakistan have also sufficed to the tale of woes of people here. Deliberate efforts are made to keep the local populace unaware of the manipulative contrivance s of the local politicians and federally appointed military and civil servants and members of the authoritarian AJK Council, which is headed by prime minister of Pakistan.

Though, the democratic era dawned in AJK in early 70s, people of this region are still groping in the darkness of autocratic, manipulative and suppressive rule. Since the establishment of an interim government in the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in October 1948, all affairs of the state, except defense, currency and foreign relations, were supposed to be run by its own people through an elected government. However, the first ever elected government took 25 years to come into existence in 1974 only after an interim constitution of the state was adopted. The successive governments in Pakistani Kashmir have shown a tendency of being manipulated, suppressed by internal and external pressures and finally dissolved in most humiliating conditions. Though, Prime Minister Yaqoob Khan , while speaking to media , deliberately used words to express his forbearance against any kind of internal or external pressure, his gestures spoke well of his two-day marathon sessions with those who actually rule the state. He thanked God for not making any decision of dissolving the legislative assembly, but, who knows who will return in the next election? Particularly, when there is a long list of would-be prime ministers, no one can afford going back to the arduous exercise of seeking vote from people. Surely, a true politician, despite of begging help from undemocratic forces, would like to go back to his people during a political storm.

The stereotyped list of allegations, retyped in haste, was handed over to Speaker’s office in Muzaffarabad. The nine-month-old government of Prime Minister Sardar Yaqoob Khan faced the same charges, which were drafted for his predecessor Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan: Misuse of funds, illegal and unconstitutional appointments in government departments, no mega projects for uplift of the area, rehabilitation failure, etc. On 12 October, 2009 All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference of Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan moved a no-confidence motion against prime minister Yaqoob Khan, who after being refused party ticket by Sardar Qayyum had won the assembly seat as an independent candidate and later proved himself to be a powerful candidate for prime ministership following a no confidence motion against Sardar Attique Khan in January this year. Syed Murtaza Gilani, MC MLA, who moved the no confidence motion, also submitted a requisition for assembly session, which was signed by 17 members of the Legislative Assembly. Muslim Conference nominated Raja Farooq Haider Khan , an MC MLA from Muzaffarabad, who headed a dissident group of MC members after serious differences with the party president Sardar Attique Khan, the then prime minister.

The no confidence move against Prime Minister Sardar Yaqoob Khan could be a surprise for those who were not much aware of the internal political dynamics of AJK, but, for those who sit on the helm of political conspiracies in AJK, it is yet another episode of ‘divide-and-rule’ drama. On 13 October, two days before the vote on no confidence move, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, president of Muslim Conference and main actor behind this motion was in Murree to share the details of his latest political adventure with the powers that be. On 14 October, he told media persons that it would not be possible for his party to consider President Asif Ali Zardari’s advice to refrain from moving a no-confidence motion, as , he said , it was already moved. So, who was behind these moves was very much clear before the no-confidence motion could be tabled. When the no confidence move was announced by both factions of the Muslim Conference on October 12, Prime Minister Yaqoob declared that he would face the no confidence because he was confident of his strength in the assembly. However, after only one day his confidence was shaken and he was quoted as saying that he had lost the majority. He also said that he was facing immense pressure to dissolve the assembly or to resign. He succumbed to the pressure and announced his resignation during a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday night at about 1130 pm.

He announced that he had resigned to avoid a political controversy in the legislative assembly. Though, he categorically denied that he was facing any pressure to resign, media reports a few hours before his press conference were against his claim. It was reported by some TV channels that he had accepted he had lost majority in the house of 49 members. Meanwhile, the Muslim Conference showed its strength of 25 members during a press conference in Muzaffarabad and they said they were confident of having support of five more members when the motion was to be tabled.

“ I took this decision to discourage horse-trading in the assembly”, prime minister Yaqoob Khan said. But, in fact, his resignation will give chance to the ugliest democratic horses to be traded by the wealthiest champions of democracy in Pakistan.

Pakistan Peoples Party has always been proud of its legacy to stick the democratic norms. But , quite surprisingly, the PPP leadership including the prime minister and the president were meddling in the affairs of Pakistan administrative Azad Kashmir in sheer violation of their Constitutional duties. Again, the local leadership of AJK is equally responsible for their undemocratic approach the Centre.

Sardar Yaqoob sought help from the federal government formally to survive no trust motion moved against him. He held meetings on Wednesday with a number of PPP leaders including the federal ministers. Syed Khurshid Shah, PPP central leader and federal minister was quoted as saying that federal government would not allow to derail the democratic process in AJK.

Sardar Qamar Zaman Khan, AJK PPP leader and the senior minister in Sardar Yaqoob government would act as prime minister till the election of next Leader of the House. Interestingly, Qamar Zaman , during Yaqoob’s visit abroad last month , had held secret meetings with a number of PPP stalwarts including Jehangir Badr, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Syed Khurshid Shah and others. He also met with MQM leaders in Karachi. During Sardar Yaqoob’s absence, he also organized a Bhutto Maila in Azad Kashmir to muster support for AJK PPP. The function was also attended by some federal ministers and PPP ‘s central leaders.Though, a cold war between the members of hotch potch cabinet of Sardar Yaqoob had started well before his elevation as prime minister, PPP senior leader Chaudhry Yasin’s rise to the position of a minister, while he was not the member of legislative assembly proved fatal for Yaqoob government.

When asked about the status of his cabinet, Sardar Yaqoob made it clear that his cabinet had been dissolved automatically after his resignation in accordance with the constitution of AJK. His cabinet was strange mixture of political forces, which were opposed to each other. Apart from the dissident group of Muslim Conference, PPP AJK, Peoples Muslim League and MQM were also included in the cabinet.

At least seven of his ministers resigned within twenty four hours of the move of no confidence motion. Those who resigned were Raja Muhammad Siddique, Noreen Arif, Raja Nisar, Raja Munsif Dad, Colonel (retd) Naseem , Syed Shaukat Ali, Sardar Naeem Khan and Chaudhry Rukhsar.

Till morning of 15 October, the political temperature in Muzaffarabad was not melted down, as Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan was quoted as saying that Yaqoob’s resignation had no effect on no confidence motion, which is to be tabled on 15 October. The legislative assembly members were present in Muzaffarabad and unusual security arrangements were made in and around the assembly building. Sardar Yaqoob, who was flanked by two aides, addressed the press conference at Kashmir House in Islamabad, while Sardar Attique Khan showed his political muscle in Muzaffarabad by giving numbers of MLAs who were supporting him.