The political landscape of Azad Jammu and Kashmir shifted dramatically on Monday as Raja Faisal Rathore of the Pakistan Peoples Party was elected AJK PM following a successful no-confidence motion against outgoing premier Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. The motion, backed by 36 lawmakers from the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, easily cleared the House, with only two votes cast in opposition. Rathore secured the same number of votes to claim the top office, becoming the 16th prime minister of the region and the fourth to hold the post during the current assembly’s tenure.
The session, chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, was attended by members of the PPP, PML-N, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, amid an extensive security presence around the Assembly Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Rathore, addressing lawmakers after his election, acknowledged the rising public frustration and promised to respond to longstanding grievances while working within the government’s available resources. He described the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee as an undeniable political reality and committed to timely decision-making, noting that bureaucratic delays had hindered earlier problem-solving efforts.
In an emotional reflection, Rathore recounted his family’s legacy in the region’s politics, sharing that he sold his father’s home to finance his election campaign. He pledged full transparency regarding his assets and emphasized the collective responsibility carried by those who entrusted him with the office. He also welcomed what he termed an unprecedented gesture—Anwarul Haq greeting him as he departed from the prime minister’s role—calling it a rare moment of positive political conduct.
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Outgoing premier Haq, during his farewell remarks, defended his tenure, arguing that no single individual could be blamed for constitutional or administrative challenges and that responsibility for governance was shared across the cabinet. He warned that the political system’s stability hinged on safeguarding the region’s borders and reiterated the essential role played by Pakistan’s armed forces. Haq added that he had been pressured to dissolve the assembly earlier this year but had refused, and said he would have supported Rathore had the election taken place without internal turmoil.
Rathore’s rise comes after weeks of strategic maneuvering by the PPP, which strengthened its parliamentary position when 10 PTI lawmakers defected to the party during a meeting with senior PPP leader Faryal Talpur in Islamabad late last month. The PML-N later endorsed the no-confidence move, though it declined to join the government. With Rathore now in office, the PPP consolidates its authority in AJK amid shifting alliances and renewed political momentum following President Asif Ali Zardari’s recently outlined regional strategy.
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