MUZAFFARABAD – PML-N’s leader Barrister Iftikhar Gilani has been elected the 17th Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, securing 30 votes in the Legislative Assembly.
During the election, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Mukhtar Khan managed to secure only 14 votes, giving Gilani a clear lead in the race for the top constitutional office.
PML-N currently has 32 members in the AJK Legislative Assembly, while elections on seven seats are yet to be completed. Gilani’s victory marks a significant development for the ruling party as the process of government formation moves forward.
Barrister Iftikhar Gilani has previously served as Education Minister of Azad Kashmir. He first entered the AJK Legislative Assembly in 2011, when he was elected as a member for the first time.
Gilani secured a technocrat seat on a PML-N ticket, returning to the house as the party’s candidate for the top government position. His nomination had already been approved by the PML-N leadership during an important consultative meeting held earlier.
The meeting on government formation was attended by senior leaders including Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Shah Ghulam Qadir and Raja Farooq Haider.
Newly elected Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri, along with other senior party leaders, also participated in the meeting.
The leadership expressed complete consensus on Barrister Iftikhar Gilani’s nomination, paving the way for his election as prime minister.
With Gilani’s election, a key phase of government formation in Azad Kashmir has now been completed, placing the PML-N leader at the helm of the state government.
