MIRPUR (AJK)-PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday nominated Ch Latif Akbar, a senior leader of the party to head the party’s Azad Jammu & Kashmir chapter, a step being described as fresh impetus to strengthen the party in the state.
According to the party sources, Bilawal Friday formally approved the induction of new office-bearers of the Pakistan People’s Party, Azad Jammu & Kashmir chapter, with immediate effect, the sources told The Nation Friday evening.
President Ch Lateef Akbar (President), Ch Pervez Ashraf (Senior Vice President), Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore (General Secretary), Javed Ayub (Information Secretary), Ms Shaheen Kausar Dar, Deputy Information Secretary and Zia Qamar (Youth President).
A notification to this effect has formally issued by his Political Secretary Jameel Soomro from the PPP Chairman’s Central Secretariat late Friday, the sources added.
It is to be noted that the new PPP AJK head Ch Latif Akber has a distinguished career in the party following his life-long affiliation with party since ZAB’s era. He has replaced Ch Abdul Majeed, former AJK prime minister in the outgoing PPP-led coalition government in the State. Ch Majeed was removed from the office of the PPP AJK President by the party’s top leadership after the convincing defeat of the party in June 21, 2016, general elections in AJK.
Hailing from Muzaffarabad district, Ch Latif Akber has been holding the office of the Secretary General of the party till the recent past. Besides, he also performed as minister in various PPP-led governments in the past including in the previous Majeed-led AJK cabinet as the Finance minister besides holding other portfolios in the previous regimes.
The newly-inducted Secretary General of the party Faisal Mumtaz Rathore is the son of late AJK PM Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore. He is also considered to be a seasoned and sincere worker of the party. Rathore, hailing from Haveili district of Poonch division, also performed as minister in the outgoing Ch Majeed’s cabinet.