New AJK assembly set to pick PM this week
• 46 legislators take oath of office; PML-N secures five, PPP wins two of seven reserved seats
• Ruling party nominates Tariq Farooq as speaker; voting for presiding officers set for today
• House unanimously condemns US envoy’s remarks on held Kashmir
MUZAFFARABAD: Newly elected members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly took the oath of office Monday, paving the way to elect the speaker and deputy speaker today and the house leader on Thursday.
Outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar administered the oath to 38 members elected from territorial and refugee constituencies in the phased elections and eight members elected on reserved seats.
Assembly Secretary Amjad Latif Abbasi read the successful candidates’ notifications before the ceremony. Members then signed the oath register in constituency order.
Mr Akbar, who failed to retain his seat in the elections, presided over the inaugural sitting of the new assembly.
PML-N’s Ahmed Raza Qadri moved motions to suspend rules prescribing a time bar for elections to the offices of speaker, deputy speaker and leader of the house.
On a point of order, Abdul Majid Khan of the PPP said that although the PML-N had the required majority to suspend the rules, it should avoid holding the session on the 12th of Rabiul Awwal, the holiday of Eid Miladun Nabi, out of respect for the sanctity of the day.
The chair, however, said there was no harm in holding the session and conducting the election process on that day.
“The transition of power should take place as early as possible, and it is good that on 12 Rabiul Awwal, members will pay tributes to the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) from the floor of the house,” he said, amid desk-thumping by PML-N legislators.
PML-N bags five reserved seats
Earlier, the PML-N bagged five, while the PPP won two of the seven reserved seats contested in the Legislative Assembly. Under Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, the assembly consists of 53 members, including 45 directly elected members and eight members elected on reserved seats.
Reserved seats comprise five for women and one each for Ulema-i-Din or Mashaikh, state subjects residing abroad, and technocrats.
PML-N’s Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain was declared elected unopposed for the seat reserved for state subjects residing abroad, being the only candidate to submit nomination papers.
In Monday’s polling, PML-N’s Sehrish Qamar, Maryam Idrees and Maryam Zaman — also known as Maryam Kashmiri — secured seven votes each, winning three women’s seats. PPP’s Farzana Yaqoob secured seven votes to claim the fourth.
PML-N’s Riffat Abid and PPP’s Zobia Khurshid Raja contested the remaining women’s seat, securing five votes each. Ms Raja was declared elected after drawing lots.
For the seat reserved for Ulema and Mashaikh, PML-N’s Mohammad Mazhar Saeed defeated his sole contender, PPP’s Hafiz Tariq Mahmood, by securing 26 votes against his rival’s 12.
PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani also secured 26 votes to win the seat reserved for technocrats and professionals, defeating PPP’s Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali by 14 votes.
The Election Commission notified the successful candidates shortly after their election.
Elections to seven of the 45 directly elected seats — five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district — could not be held due to the law and order situation. Consequently, the 38 members elected so far participated in the reserved-seat elections.
With Monday’s results, PML-N strength in the 46-member assembly rose to 31, while PPP stood at 14. Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, the lone Awami Dast-o-Bazu Party member, has allied with the PML-N.
Speaker nomination, election schedule
The Legislative Assembly secretariat issued on Monday the schedule for speaker and deputy speaker elections.
Nominations for both offices will be filed with the assembly secretary between 10am and 11am and scrutinised at 11:15am.
The candidate list will be displayed at 11:30am. Candidates can withdraw nominations at 11:45am, with the final list displayed at noon.
Polling for the speaker will be at 2pm and for the deputy speaker at 3pm.
Meanwhile, the PML-N leadership nominated the party’s regional general secretary, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, for the office of speaker.
Mr Farooq defeated former Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq by more than 12,000 votes in LA-7, or Bhimber city, in what was his fifth electoral success from the constituency since 1996.
Previously, he had also served as an AJK Council member from 1991 to 1996. The name of the deputy speaker was not immediately announced.
US envoy remarks condemned
Separately, the AJK Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning remarks by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who reportedly described the disputed region as an integral part of India.
Moved by Mr Akbar, the resolution termed the ambassador’s remarks “highly regrettable and contrary to facts”.
The House stated the comments ignored the Kashmiri people’s political aspirations and contradicted the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The assembly noted the decades-old dispute remains on the UN Security Council agenda, which recognises the Kashmiri right to self-determination through a free and impartial process. The resolution also recalled past US recognition of the dispute and its emphasis on a peaceful settlement.
“Therefore, endorsing the stance of one party by a US diplomatic representative during a visit to Srinagar is deeply disappointing and raises serious questions about Washington’s commitment to playing a neutral and constructive role in resolving this dispute,” the resolution said.
The House declared Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute, not an internal Indian matter.
It stressed that while dialogue between India and Pakistan is important, no lasting solution can be achieved without the Kashmiri people, the “primary party” to the dispute. Its future, the resolution maintained, cannot be decided by India or Pakistan alone.
“Ultimately, this decision must be made by the Kashmiri people themselves through the exercise of their fundamental right to self-determination,” it said.
The assembly urged the US and the international community to press India to halt human rights violations, release political prisoners and create a conducive environment for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
It reiterated that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir should be determined neither through force, occupation nor unilateral actions, but in accordance with internationally recognised principles and the free will of the Kashmiri people.
Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026
