Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan has decided to form a mini cabinet and cut in size bureaucracy and discretionary posts of AJK Premier and the President in liberation cell.

Sources told Daily Times that the AJK premier issued directives to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to initiate stern action and tighten noose around those found involved in plundering the national kitty and widespread corruption and corrupt practices.

The Premier PM is also poised to curtail the existing strength of 35 secretaries to 20 in the realm of bureaucracy. He is also determined to reduce the number of persons appointed in liberation cell under the discretion of prime minister and president to noticeable lowest level.

During the previous PPP regime, AJK Prime Minister and President had appointed about 100 persons on discretionary posts and their only job was to grab million of rupees from national exchequer in the name of salaries just for passing the time leisurely without doing any work in the offices.

The newly elected AJK Premier is all set to abolish all the offices which are dysfunctional and decided to promulgate a law from AJK Legislative Assembly for abolishing these posts.

Sources said the decision has also been taken to show the door to all the staffers who were appointed against the norms of merit by the previous regime. Farooq Haider Khan has also decided to retain the ministry of local bodies till the LB polls by the end of this year. No administrator will be appointed till the local bodies’ polls.

It is pertinent to mention here that Raja Farooq Haider following his nomination for Premier of AJK had said during his chat with media that ideal government would be provided to people of Azad Kashmir and favouritism and nepotism will be eliminated from the state.

He also announced to hold local bodies’ polls and devolve powers to grass root level. “No matter if I am expelled from my office after 10 days I will take all the decisions at every cost whichever are in the interest of state, he added.