Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Barrister Iftikhar Gillani took oath on Friday as the new prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Acting AJK President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq administered the oath.
Gillani secured 30 votes in the election for leader of the house, a day after PML-N nominated him as its candidate for the post. He defeated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Mukhtar Abbasi, who received 14 votes.
The vote took place during a session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly convened specifically to elect the new leader of the house. The assembly has 53 total seats, but seven from Poonch and Sudhnoti districts remain vacant since elections haven't been held there, leaving an effective strength of 46 members.
PML-N and its allies hold 32 seats in the assembly, while PPP holds 14. Of the 44 members who cast votes, PML-N's Shah Ghulam Qadir did not attend to vote, and PPP's Bazal Ali Naqvi also stayed away. All proceedings were completed at the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
After taking the oath, Gillani thanked the PML-N leadership, including Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. He pledged to focus on job creation and improved health facilities for the people of the region.
Gillani was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 2011 and previously served as the region's education minister.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Gillani, crediting the party's success to Nawaz Sharif and PML-N workers. "I am hopeful that Barrister Iftikhar Gillani will fully play his role for the welfare and development of the AJK," he said. Shehbaz added that the federal government would continue supporting efforts to improve living standards and development in AJK, calling the continuation of democracy in the region a welcome development.
