Barrister Iftikhar Gilani was sworn in as the 17th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Sardar Mukhtar Abbasi in a vote of the newly elected AJK Legislative Assembly.
A Decisive Vote
Gilani, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz nominee, secured 30 votes against 14 for Abbasi in the election held during a special assembly session in Muzaffarabad, chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. He was nominated for the post by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif a day earlier. The oath of office was administered by AJK Acting President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq at a televised ceremony, after which PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin was appointed leader of the opposition, completing the assembly’s parliamentary set-up.
Gilani was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 2011 and has previously served as the region’s education minister. He was elected to his current seat on the reserved seat for technocrats. Notably, Abbasi had defeated Gilani in AJK’s general elections held on August 2, making Friday’s premiership vote a reversal of that earlier result.
A Maiden Address Focused on Jobs and Kashmir
In his first speech to the assembly, Gilani pledged to ensure employment for young people, saying it was needed so that Azad Kashmir’s youth “do not follow any other path.” He said the Kashmir dispute was not merely a matter of territory but a question of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination under United Nations resolutions.
Gilani thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, saying his government would aim to bring the kind of change to Azad Kashmir that Maryam Nawaz had brought to Punjab. He also expressed gratitude to the Pakistan Army and Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying Kashmiris were able to sleep peacefully because of the armed forces’ efforts. On governance, he announced plans to introduce a third-party recruitment system modelled on the National Testing Service, and acknowledged ongoing internet connectivity issues in parts of the region.
Federal Response
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Gilani on his election and reaffirmed that the federal government would continue extending cooperation for the development and improved living standards of AJK’s people, describing the continuation of the democratic process in the region as a positive development.
Why It Matters
Gilani’s election marks the 17th premiership under AJK’s parliamentary system since 1975, and comes as the region continues to grapple with connectivity gaps and youth unemployment. How his government moves on the recruitment reforms and employment pledges outlined in his maiden address is likely to shape early expectations of his tenure.
