ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) officially joined forces to push no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, ending weeks of intense deadlock, PPP AJK Secretary-General Faisal Mumtaz Rathore revealed.
PPP leaders confirmed that both parties signed historic motion, with PML-N’s Raja Farooq Haider putting his signature on behalf of his party. “We currently have the open support of 37 members,” he said, adding that another five assembly members have pledged their backing.
New prime minister’s name is expected to be announced within just two days, sending political shockwaves through the region.
Sources disclosed that PPP picked Chaudhry Yaseen as its candidate for top post. The decision was cemented in high-profile meeting at Zardari House, where PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari personally announced Yaseen’s nomination to party’s AJK leadership. Four candidates were considered Chaudhry Yaseen, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, and Sardar Yaqub before Yaseen was unanimously endorsed, insiders said.
The previous deadlock between PPP and PML-N reportedly ended after PML-N agreed to support motion on the condition that early elections would be held. The incoming prime minister is expected to first fill pending constitutional appointments before setting the stage for general elections.
PML-N leaders have also pledged that their ministers will resign once the motion is submitted and that the party will move to the opposition benches.
The no-confidence motion requires just 27 votes for a majority, but PPP now claims backing from 37 lawmakers thanks to PML-N’s support a clear signal of seismic shift in AJK politics. This announcement follows a joint press conference two days ago after a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, where PML-N confirmed support for the motion while making it clear they would remain outside the new government.
PPP’s power in AJK Legislative Assembly surged from 17 to 27 after ten PTI lawmakers joined party. PTI legislators made move in dramatic meeting at Zardari House, Islamabad, attended by PPP Women’s Wing President Faryal Talpur and senior leader Chaudhry Riaz.
With a united front between PPP, PML-N, and defecting PTI lawmakers, the political landscape of AJK is set for a dramatic upheaval. Chaudhry Yaseen’s rise to the premiership appears imminent, signaling the dawn of a new era in the region’s politics.
