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Efforts to form a new government in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) after recent legislative Assembly elections suffered a setback as the Pakistan Army openly expressed its Opposition to former prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan taking over the post for another term.
Qayyum’s Muslim Conference (MC) has won a simple majority in the elections to the 40 seats of the PoK legislature last month and staked its claim to form the government. However, a piquant situation has arisen following Army openly expressing its preference in favour of one of MC leaders, Sikandar Hayat Khan as the prime minister instead of Qayyum who was preferred by the majority of the party’s elected representatives, media reports here said on Sunday. Pakistan daily The Dawn reported that the military government has given its ‘blessings’ to Hayat Khan who was one of the elected MC legislators.
‘‘However, the Army’s reported decision has sent a wave of anger among the supporters of Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan in the 30-member Parliamentary party of Muslim Conference who are said to outnumber those who are siding with Sardar Sikandar Hayat,’’ the newspaper said.
Quoting sources it said that the Pakistan Army’s general officer commanding of Murree division, Maj Gen Shahid Aziz, who is also in-charge of PoK affairs, had held separate meetings with Hayat Khan and Qayyum last Friday during which he informed them of Army’s decision.
It said Qayyum did not anticipate this decision but remained calm and composed. He was offered the office of the President of PoK, but he declined to accept that.
Qayyum, however, wanted to resign his seat in protest but decided to wait, it said. The Muslim Conference Parliamentary Party would meet at PoK’s capital Muzaffarabad tomorrow a day ahead of the first session of the new Assembly and discuss the leadership issue. The party has won the majority defeating the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) government headed by Sultan Mehamud.
The Dawn said rumours were also
rife that the federal government was considering to appoint a retired major
general from PoK’s southern belt for the post of President. The reasons
for Army’s reservations in backing Qayyum, who was known to pursue an independent
line from the Pakistan government’s stated Kashmir policy, were also not
clear.(PTI)
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