Imran Khan nominates Abdul Qayyum Niazi as next ‘PM’ of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 4 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated politician Abdul Qayyum Niazi as the next ‘prime minister’ of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In a tweet, the Pakistan Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, on Wednesday announced that Imran Khan has made the decision after extensive consultations and reviewing all the proposals.

Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister’s focal person for digital media, added that Niazi was a member of the PoK Legislative Assembly from border area Abbaspur Poonch.

“He is also the central joint secretary of the PTI,” he said.

Niazi — who won the recent PoK polls from the LA-18 constituency — was not among the leading candidates for the position initially.

According to Dawn, Imran Khan Friday and Saturday interviewed no less than seven candidates for the position of PoK prime minister.

The prime minister had put various questions to them, relating to their future strategy and views on environment, tourism and national and international issues.

According to a source, PM Imran had expressed displeasure over the fact that he was being contacted by different quarters that were exerting pressure to select particular candidates.

Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the largest political party in the PoK Legislative Assembly following the recently held elections on July 25 in the territory.

The PTI managed to secure a total number of 32 seats (including reserved seats) while the PPP won 12 seats and the PML-N managed to secure seven seats.

PoK elections were marred with rigging, violence and murder under the watchful eye of the Pakistani military establishment itself.

The aforementioned elections have also proved to be a money-grabbing event. Prior to July 25, sector commander of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan Brigadier Naeem Malik was caught accepting bribes from PTI candidates.

In the aftermath of the elections, protests took place in PoK. Thousands of demonstrators hit the streets in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to protest against the Pakistan army after reports of election manipulation emerged in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Legislative Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, India has termed elections in Pakistan occupied Kashmir as a cosmetic exercise to camouflage illegal occupation and has lodged a protest with Pakistani authorities.

India has asked Pakistan to vacate the territory illegally occupied by it. (ANI)