MUZAFFARABAD/ISLAMABAD: A shift has emerged in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s plans for government formation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the party’s central leadership nominating Barrister Iftikhar Gilani for the prime minister’s office after Nawaz Sharif had initially backed Shah Ghulam Qadir for the post.
Party sources said Nawaz Sharif had given the go-ahead to Qadir during a consultative meeting at Raiwind last week attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Qadir, the PML-N’s AJK president and a seven-time member of the Legislative Assembly who has served as speaker twice, was considered the frontrunner.
However, a meeting chaired by Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad on August 26 finalised Gilani’s name for the premiership. The meeting was attended by Qadir, former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider, newly elected Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri and Rana Sanaullah.
Sources said Qadir and Haider expressed reservations over the decision and called for further consultations.
Gilani lost the recent general election from Muzaffarabad city but later entered the assembly on a reserved technocrat seat. Party circles attributed the change in nomination to internal consultations and other factors that influenced the final decision.
Qadir has since called a meeting of the parliamentary party. Both he and Haider have indicated that they would convey their views to the central leadership after further consultations.
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The AJK Legislative Assembly is scheduled to elect the new prime minister on August 28. The PML-N won 25 directly contested seats in the recent elections and increased its strength to 32 after the reserved-seat elections and the support of an independent member. The party has already elected its nominees as speaker and deputy speaker.
Qadir had led the party’s successful election campaign in the region and initially received Nawaz Sharif’s endorsement. The latest development has sparked discussion within political circles about the internal dynamics and other considerations behind the change in the party’s choice.
Further clarity is expected after the ongoing consultations.
