LAHORE/MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has intensified consultations over the formation of the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), with senior leaders Shah Ghulam Qadir and Tariq Farooq emerging as leading contenders for the prime minister’s position.
A meeting chaired by Nawaz Sharif reviewed the political situation in AJK, possible candidates for the top office and the party’s future strategy in the region. According to sources, the PML-N leadership is expected to select one of the two senior leaders as its candidate for AJK prime minister.
The meeting also discussed Pakistan’s broader political situation, the health of PTI founder Imran Khan and recent decisions of the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the PML-N parliamentary party in AJK held a separate meeting to finalise its strategy for elections to the Legislative Assembly’s reserved seats. The meeting was chaired by PML-N AJK president Shah Ghulam Qadir and attended by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Senator Anusha Rahman.
Participants expressed confidence in Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. A resolution adopted during the meeting pledged to prioritise development, law and order, merit, justice and constitutional supremacy in AJK.
The resolution also reaffirmed the party’s position on the Kashmir issue and expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir. It called for the dispute to be resolved in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
The PML-N parliamentary party also praised the armed forces for their role in protecting the country and expressed confidence in the electoral process in AJK.
According to the resolution, the incoming AJK government would focus on improving security, restarting stalled development projects and introducing measures aimed at improving public welfare.
AJK Reserved Seats Contest
Six candidates are contesting five women’s reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. PML-N candidates include Riffat Abid, Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees and Maryam Zaman, also known as Maryam Kashmiri. PPP candidates Farzana Yaqoob and Zobia Khurshid Raja are also in the race.
Seven candidates had initially submitted nomination papers, but PPP candidate Shaheen Kosar Dar later withdrew.
For the Ulema and Mashaikh reserved seat, PPP’s Hafiz Tariq Mahmood is contesting against PML-N’s Mohammad Mazhar Saeed.
The technocrats and professionals seat is being contested by PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani and PPP’s Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali.
PML-N candidate Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain has already been elected unopposed to the seat reserved for state subjects living abroad after no other candidate submitted nomination papers.
Polling for the women’s, Ulema and Mashaikh, and technocrats and professionals seats is scheduled from 10am to 1pm at the Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad.
The newly elected AJK Legislative Assembly is scheduled to meet at 2pm, when members will take their oath from outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar.
The consultations over the AJK premiership are expected to remain a key focus as the PML-N moves toward forming the next government in the region.
