MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly is set to elect a new prime minister today (Friday), with the dominant PML-N fielding a relatively young leader for the coveted office.
The decision to nominate Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani was announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a meeting with four senior PML-N leaders from AJK in Islamabad, late on Wednesday night.
The meeting, which took place at the Prime Minister’s House, was attended by PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, his predecessor and former AJK premier Raja Farooq Haider, the party’s regional secretary general and assembly speaker, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri.
The prime minister was accompanied by his aide, Rana Sanaullah, and senior PML-N leader Saad Rafique.
Mr Gillani was also invited to PM House but did not join the meeting, where PM Shehbaz informed the visiting leaders that party supremo Nawaz Sharif had decided to nominate him as the party’s candidate for the AJK premiership.
The decision, however, triggered a sharp reaction from Mr Qadir and Mr Haider, who reportedly expressed their disagreement and announced that they would not participate in Friday’s election process.
Speculation that Mr Gillani could be chosen for the premiership had been rife since he was elected to the assembly on a reserved seat on Aug 24.
However, the party’s regional leadership believed that the formula followed in 2016, when Mr Haider was elevated as prime minister, would be repeated this time as well.
Following the reaction of the two senior leaders, Mr Sanaullah and Mr Rafique held another meeting with them, but it remained inconclusive, sources told Dawn.
In a post-midnight message on X, Mr Qadir assured the “self-respecting people of Azad Kashmir” that he would not compromise on their honour and dignity. “Nawaz Sharif’s slogan of giving respect to the vote will be ensured,” he added.
On Thursday afternoon, however, PML-N central information secretary and Punjab senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb posted on X that Mr Sharif had finalised Mr Gillani as the party’s candidate and directed him to submit his nomination papers for election as AJK prime minister.
He will face PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi in Friday’s election.
The AJK Assembly comprises 53 members, but its present strength is 46 because elections to seven seats in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts have yet to be held.
The PML-N currently has a strength of 32, including its allies, while the PPP has 14 lawmakers in the AJK Assembly.
According to Assembly Secretary Amjed Latif Abbasi, nomination papers would be submitted between 9:30am and 10:30am, followed by scrutiny at 10:45am and display of the list of contesting candidates at 11am. Candidates would be allowed to withdraw their nominations until 11:30am, after which the final list would be displayed at noon.
The assembly will convene at 2pm for the election. Members wishing to vote for a particular candidate would proceed in single file through the entrance to the designated lobby of that candidate, where tellers would record their division numbers.
The speaker will then count the votes cast through the division process and declare as prime minister the candidate securing the required majority.
Meanwhile, preparations for Mr Gillani’s oath-taking ceremony have also been revised. Though Mr Qadir had tasked the administration with making arrangements at the High Court ground, the ceremony will now be held at the President’s House between 4pm and 5pm.
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026
