New Delhi, May 08: A senior minister in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Chaudhry Muhammad Rashid, has been dismissed from the cabinet amid reports of his growing proximity to leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Rashid was serving as Minister for Power Development Organisation and Planning and Development in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.
According to reports, Rashid was removed after holding meetings with PML-N leaders and reportedly signalling his intention to join the party. He had earlier been part of the PTI Forward Bloc before joining the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), following which he was inducted into the current cabinet.
Rashid was originally elected to the PoK Assembly on a ticket of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He had also backed Tanveer Ilyas during the no-confidence move against the government of former PoK Prime Minister Abdul Qayyum Niazi.
No official statement has yet been issued by the PoK government regarding the dismissal.
