MUZAFFARABAD: PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani was sworn in as Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s prime minister on Friday.

Gillani took oath at a televised ceremony, where he expressed gratitude to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the party’s senior leadership.

Addressing the gathering, the newly elected prime minister said he was thankful for the leadership’s “affection and faith” in him and pledged to uphold that trust.

“I am thankful for the leadership and party’s affection and faith in me, and I assure you that even if I have to work day and night, I will uphold this faith,” Gillani said.

He urged members of the Legislative Assembly to cooperate with him, stressing that “we must move forward together and build an AJK that is exemplary for the whole world”.

“Ours is a small region,” Gillani said, noting that “similar to the rest of the country, AJK also has governance issues and unemployment”.

“Why does anyone work in this country? It is so they can put food on the table, give their children a better education and afford to pay hospital bills,” he said, stressing that the three points were “the basis on which his government will move forward”.

He emphasised that the youth must be provided employment opportunities. “We have to take all possible efforts to ensure employment for the youth so they may not be led astray and continue on a path to a brighter future”.

Gillani stated that the hospitals in the region also needed improvement. “If we address these three things to even a minor extent, many of our tensions will be resolved.”

He expressed confidence that the PML-N majority in the legislative assembly will “utilise the experience of senior members and energy of the youth in their ranks”.

“I am confident that at the end of our tenure, AJK’s prosperity and development will be used as an example all over Pakistan,” he hoped.

Gillani was elected as PM after securing 30 of the 44 votes polled in the assembly earlier in the day. His sole contender was PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi, who bagged 14 votes in the contest for the top office.

The AJK Assembly comprises 53 members, but its present strength is 46 — PML-N’s being 32, including its allies, and PPP’s 14 — because elections to seven seats in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts have yet to be held.

However, 44 votes were polled in Friday’s elections as the speaker did not cast his vote and PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir was not present in the assembly.

Qadir, along with former AJK premier Raja Farooq Haider, had previously opposed Gillani’s nomination for the post. However, when assembly proceedings began on Friday, Haider entered the House alongside Gillani.

After the votes were counted, Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq announced the result, declaring Gillani as the winner amid clapping and slogans from the galleries.

Gillani has succeeded PPP’s Rathore, who was elected as the prime minister in November 2025.

Following his election, PM Shehbaz congratulated him and expressed hope that he would “play an effective role in the development of AJK and the welfare of its people”, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.

Citing an official statement, the report said PM Shehbaz credited PML-N leadership and workers’ “hard work” for the party’s victory in AJK.

He said the federal government would continue extending all possible support for the development, prosperity and improved living standards of the people of AJK and termed the “continuation of the democratic process in Azad Jammu and Kashmir a welcome development”.

PPP’s Yasin appointed opposition leader

PPP regional president and senior parliamentarian Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the AJK Legislative Assembly, as per a notification issued by Assembly Secretary Amjed Latif Abbasi.

Speaker Farooq approved Yasin’s appointment to the post — the second time he has held the office — under Rule 17(1), sub-rule (3) of the Rules of Procedure, completing the parliamentary setup in the region.

He previously served as Leader of the Opposition during the PML-N government from 2016 to 2021 and has been involved in electoral politics since 1990, winning the 1990, 1996, 2011, 2016 and 2021 general elections, while losing the 1991 and 2006 polls.

In 2021, he won from two constituencies, while in the recent elections he won one seat and lost the other. In 2001, he fielded his cousin, who also won the election.

Additionally, Yasin has held several ministerial positions during PPP governments, including that of senior minister and acting prime minister.

In a statement, he said the opposition had a vital role to play in a democratic society and pledged to perform the role responsibly.

“Although we have serious reservations about the recent general elections, being a democratic party, we believe in strengthening democratic institutions. We will play our role in further strengthening the AJK Assembly and leave behind healthy democratic traditions,” he said, adding that the opposition would appreciate every good step taken by the government but would “fully oppose every wrong step”.

“We will support the government wherever it works for the people and will raise our voice wherever we find anything against their interests,” Yasin added.

Gillani’s nomination

PML-N’s decision to nominate Gillani was announced by PM Shehbaz at a meeting with four senior PML-N leaders from AJK in Islamabad, late on Wednesday night.

The meeting, which took place at the Prime Min­ister’s House, was attended by PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, his predecessor and former AJK premier Raja Farooq Haider, the party’s regional secretary general and asse­mbly speaker, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, and Deputy Spe­a­ker Ahmed Raza Qadri.

The prime minister was accompanied by his aide, Rana Sanaullah, and senior PML-N leader Saad Rafique.

Gillani was also invited to the PM House but did not join the meeting, where PM Shehbaz infor­med the visiting leaders that party supremo Nawaz Sharif had decided to nominate Gillani as the party’s candidate for the AJK premiership.

The decision, however, triggered a sharp reaction from Qadir and Haider, who reportedly expressed their disagreement and announced that they would not participate in Friday’s election process.

However, only Qadir did not participate in the election.

Speculation that Gillani could be chosen for the premiership had been rife since he was elected to the assembly on a reserved seat on Aug 24.

However, the party’s regional leadership believed that the formula followed in 2016, when Haider was elevated as prime minister, would be repeated this time as well.

Following the reaction of the two senior leaders, Sanaullah and Rafique held another meeting with them, but it remained inconclusive, sources told Dawn.

In a post-midnight message on X, Qadir assured the “self-respecting people of Azad Kashmir” that he would not compromise on their honour and dignity. “Nawaz Sharif’s slogan of giving respect to the vote will be ensured,” he added.

On Thursday afternoon, however, PML-N central information secretary and Punjab senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb posted on X that PM Shehbaz had finalised Gillani as the party’s candidate and directed him to submit his nomination papers for election as AJK prime minister.

AJK polls

The elections in the region, originally scheduled for July 27, were divided into phases over security concerns amid unrest in the region. The first phase was held on July 27, the second on Aug 2 and the third on Aug 10.

Meanwhile, the third phase was originally meant to cover all of Poonch Division, which comprises 11 constituencies, including three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district.

However, the AJK Election Commission announced that polling would only go ahead as scheduled in Bagh and Haveli because of concerns over the law and order situation.

So far, in the direct elections to 38 constituencies, the PML-N has secured 25 seats while the PPP won 12. The lone MLA-elect of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party has also joined hands with the PML-N.

As for the reserved seats, the PML-N has bagged six and the PPP two.

The PPP has alleged widespread rigging and irregularities in the elections.