Islamabad, July 29:  The president of Muslim Conference Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of AJK on Thursday.
 The AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Khan administered oath to the newly elected premier. Besides leaders of the Muslim Conference, the ceremony was attended by legislators, secretaries as well as the top officials of the government.
 Khan secured 39 votes in the 49-member assembly in AJK capital Muzaffarabad. The election was necessitated by the resignation of the former incumbent, Raja Farooq Haider, who quit on Monday to avoid facing a no-confidence motion. Haider too belonged to the Muslim Conference but a group of 18 ministers staged a rebellion and resigned to protest his policies.
 Haider and his supporters boycotted today's Assembly session, describing the proceedings as illegal. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani congratulated Attique Khan on his election.
 This was the fourth time that the AJK  assembly has elected a Prime Minister since 2006. Fresh elections are scheduled for next year.
 Speaking on the occasion the newly elected premier expressed his gratitude to the legislators for their support and said that he would continue his mission of national reconciliation by adhering to the policies and the principles laid-down of his predecessors.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST