MUZAFFARABAD: Newly-elected Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Faisal Rathore has said that the government must address public issues while remaining within available resources.
Addressing the House after his election, Faisal Rathore said that God had placed a heavy responsibility on the shoulders of a political worker. “This responsibility is not mine alone; it belongs to all those who voted for me,” he added.
He said that former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto had entrusted his father with the office of prime minister, and today Bilawal Bhutto had placed his trust in him. “For the first time, an outgoing prime minister bid farewell while welcoming the incoming one,” he remarked.
Faisal Rathore said that the Action Committee was a ground reality that must be acknowledged. Some issues, he added, could have been resolved earlier but were delayed. “As prime minister, I pledge that there will be no delay from my pen,” he stated.
Responding to the perception that politicians belong to an elite class, he said this was untrue. “My father built only one house with the support of friends, and I sold that house to cover my election expenses,” he revealed.
He added that whatever assets he possesses will remain the same even after his tenure. Those who joined hands with him to form the government, he said, had now become part of the Pakistan Peoples Party and would contest the next elections under its banner.
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The Azad Kashmir premier said that the current situation in the state was challenging, with protest movements under way and weakened political leadership. “We must strengthen our ties with Pakistan. This is a purely PPP-led government,” he emphasized.
He said his aim was to deliver as much as possible during the next six to seven months of his tenure. He added that he had been negotiating with the Action Committee, acknowledging that while some of their concerns were genuine, others were complex. “We will continue engaging with them,” he said.
Faisal Rathore further announced that each secretary will be allowed only one official vehicle, while the number of secretaries would be reduced from 20. He also announced the abolition of posts for special secretaries and senior secretaries.
Moreover, he declared that all technical posts in the Education Department would be merged into the department itself.
