An eight member cabinet of the newly formed Azad Jammu and Kashmir government was sworn in on Friday at the Presidency in Muzaffarabad, completing the initial administrative structure of the region’s new Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz led government.
Eight Ministers Take the Oath
Acting AJK President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq administered the oath to Waqar Noor, Azhar Sadiq, Saqib Majeed, Dr Mustafa Bashir, Raja Riasat, Umair Naeem, Abdul Rehman Arain and Sardar Mir Akbar at a ceremony held at the Presidency, according to the Express Tribune.
AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani attended the ceremony alongside PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, members of the Legislative Assembly and other officials, with roughly 700 to 800 people present, Daily Ausaf reported.
Follows Gilani’s Election as Premier
The cabinet’s formation comes days after Gilani, a PML-N barrister, was elected AJK prime minister on August 28, securing 30 votes in the assembly against 14 for PPP candidate Mukhtar Abbasi, according to Aaj English TV.
Departments have not yet been allocated among the new ministers, with that assignment expected to follow in a subsequent phase of the government’s formation.
PML-N Pledges a New Development Push
Gilani said the PML-N’s vision for Azad Kashmir is centered on public service, protection of citizens’ rights and development, and that projects would be modeled on programs already underway at the federal level under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and in Punjab under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, according to Daily Ausaf.
He expressed confidence the party’s tenure in the region would mark the start of what he called a new era of development and prosperity for Azad Kashmir’s residents.
The cabinet’s swearing in marks the formal start of PML-N’s tenure in the region, following a competitive assembly vote that saw Gilani prevail over the PPP’s candidate. Local officials say the coming weeks will be closely watched as the new government moves to allocate ministerial portfolios and set its early policy priorities.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir has its own legislative assembly, prime minister, and president, operating under an interim constitution separate from Pakistan’s federal structure, though its government maintains close political and administrative ties to Islamabad.
Officials say the coming weeks will show whether the new administration can quickly translate its election mandate into concrete governance decisions.
