ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has completed internal consultations on the anticipated political reshuffle in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and has decided not to support the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate for the office of prime minister, sources confirmed on Tuesday.
According to party insiders, a high-level meeting chaired by senior leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam — along with PMLN AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, former AJK premier Raja Farooq Haider Khan, and members of the parliamentary party — reviewed the political situation and finalized the party’s stance.
Sources said the leadership agreed that while the PMLN would back the PPP’s move for an in-house change, it would not participate in the formation of the new government. The participants decided that the no-confidence motion and election of the new leader of the house were two distinct matters, and the party would keep its independence in the second phase. The meeting also emphasized continued coordination with the PPP on future electoral cooperation and broader political strategy in the region.
Meanwhile, PPP sources confirmed that AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq had been given a deadline until 2 pm to tender his resignation. A formal message reportedly warned that a no-confidence motion would be submitted if he failed to step down. However, Anwarul Haq has refused to resign, vowing instead to contest the motion on the assembly floor, saying:
“If anyone has the required numbers, they should bring the no-confidence motion.”
PPP’s Numbers Game
PPP sources claim the party currently commands the support of 36 members in the AJK Legislative Assembly, surpassing the 27-member threshold required to table a no-confidence motion and elect a new prime minister. The PPP initially secured 27 members but later gained the backing of PMLN President Shah Ghulam Qadir and Raja Farooq Haider, bringing the total to 36 after PMLN’s nine members signed the motion.
Interestingly, the no-confidence motion left the name of the PPP’s prime ministerial nominee blank, in line with a unique clause of the Azad Kashmir Interim Act, which requires naming a successor. Sources said the name of the nominee would be revealed at the last moment — reportedly to be handed to the PPP parliamentary team in a sealed envelope from President Asif Ali Zardari before filing the motion in the Speaker’s Chamber.
Political Coordination
In a related development, leaders of the PPP and PMLN AJK chapters met following their central leadership’s meeting at the President House in Islamabad on Monday night.
The session was attended by PPP President Chaudhry Yasin, Secretary General Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, PMLN President Shah Ghulam Qadir, Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, former PM Raja Farooq Haider, Senior Vice President Mushtaq Minhas, and former ministers Dr Najeeb Naqi and Iftikhar Gilani.
During the meeting, both parties exchanged views on the future political setup and power-sharing formula. PMLN President Shah Ghulam Qadir assured the PPP that his party’s nine members would vote against PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, confirming their support for a leadership change but not for joining the new coalition.
 has completed internal consultations on the anticipated political reshuffle in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and has decided not to support the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate.){kind=link}