Iftikhar Gilani Elected 17th Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir
MUZAFFARABAD, AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR — WEB DESK: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani was elected the 17th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday after securing 30 votes in the Legislative Assembly.
Gilani defeated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Mukhtar Khan, who received 14 votes during the election for the territory’s top executive office.
His victory puts the PML-N at the head of the new AJK government following the recently concluded election and government-formation process.
Gilani Secures 30 Votes
According to the announced result, Gilani received 30 votes, while Mukhtar Khan secured 14. Express Urdu reported that the PML-N has 32 lawmakers in the assembly, although Gilani ultimately received two fewer votes than that figure.
The result nevertheless gave the PML-N nominee a comfortable victory over his PPP rival.
Ahead of Friday’s vote, PML-N and its allies had been expected to command support from 32 lawmakers. Earlier reporting indicated that the PPP had 14 votes.
The difference between the coalition’s expected strength and Gilani’s final 30-vote tally is politically noteworthy, particularly because reports ahead of the election had pointed to reservations among some senior PML-N figures over his nomination.
PML-N Chose Gilani After Leadership Consultations
Gilani emerged as the PML-N candidate after consultations involving the party’s central and AJK leadership.
PML-N President Nawaz Sharif formally nominated him for the premiership ahead of Friday’s assembly vote.
The government-formation consultations also involved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior PML-N figures, including Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Shah Ghulam Qadir and former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider.
However, the nomination was not entirely free of internal disagreement. Ahead of the vote, Tribune reported reservations among senior AJK PML-N leaders, including Shah Ghulam Qadir and Raja Farooq Haider.
Who Is Barrister Iftikhar Gilani?
Gilani is an experienced AJK politician who previously served as education minister and was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 2011.
His route into the current assembly was different from a direct constituency victory.
In the latest electoral process, Gilani contested LA-29 Muzaffarabad-III but lost to PPP candidate Sardar Mukhtar. He subsequently entered the Legislative Assembly through a reserved technocrat seat on the PML-N ticket.
Radio Pakistan reported on August 24 that Gilani had been elected to the technocrat seat as the assembly completed voting for its reserved seats.
He was then selected by the PML-N leadership as its candidate for prime minister.
New AJK Government Takes Shape
The election follows a rapid government-formation process in AJK.
Earlier this week, PML-N’s Chaudhry Tariq Farooq was elected speaker of the Legislative Assembly with 32 votes, while Ahmed Raza Qadri became deputy speaker with the same number.
Gilani’s election now completes another major stage in the formation of the new administration.
Before the vote, he pledged to pursue development, public welfare and protection of citizens’ rights, saying his government would seek to implement development initiatives in AJK.
The new prime minister will now face the task of forming his cabinet and setting the government’s policy priorities while also managing political dynamics within the ruling PML-N.
The 30-14 result gives Gilani a clear parliamentary mandate in the prime ministerial contest, but the voting numbers will also draw attention because they fell short of the 32 votes that the PML-N-led bloc had been expected to command.
