AJK PM Gilani Meets PML-N Chief to Ease Rift After Leadership Vote
Newly elected Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Barrister Iftikhar Gilani met PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir in Muzaffarabad on Saturday in an apparent effort to address internal party tensions that emerged during the selection of the region's new chief executive. The meeting came shortly after Gilani assumed office and followed Qadir's public dissatisfaction with the party's decision to nominate him for the premiership.
Qadir had stayed away from the AJK Legislative Assembly session in which Gilani was elected prime minister and did not cast a vote for the party's eventual nominee. His absence highlighted divisions within the PML-N at a politically sensitive moment as the party moved to establish its new administration following the recent elections.
Gilani secured 30 votes in the prime ministerial contest, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Mukhtar Khan Abbasi, who received 14 votes. Dunya News reported that 44 lawmakers, excluding the speaker, participated in the vote. The result installed Gilani as the 17th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, but Qadir's boycott left the new leadership facing an immediate challenge of restoring cohesion within its own ranks.
The latest visit to Qadir's residence therefore carries political significance beyond a routine meeting between senior party figures. It represents an early attempt by the new prime minister to reduce friction after the leadership contest and secure broader cooperation within the PML-N. No detailed agreement or formal resolution of the differences was announced in the initial report, leaving attention focused on whether the outreach produces a wider reconciliation among senior AJK party leaders.
Gilani had taken the oath of office with Acting AJK President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq administering the ceremony. In his address following the oath, Gilani thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and other party leaders for placing confidence in him. He said collective efforts and support from members of the Legislative Assembly would be necessary to pursue development and prosperity in Azad Kashmir.
His elevation followed consultations within the PML-N over the formation of the new AJK government. A party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad had discussed the leadership choice, future parliamentary strategy, cabinet formation, governance priorities and measures aimed at improving administration. Senior figures involved in those consultations included Shah Ghulam Qadir, Raja Farooq Haider, Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Saad Rafique, along with newly elected AJK parliamentary leaders.
Gilani entered the latest assembly through a technocrat seat on the PML-N ticket. He has a longer political history in the region, having first been elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 2011 and previously served as education minister. His immediate task now extends beyond forming a government to maintaining party unity and securing support for his administration's legislative and development agenda.
The next indication of whether tensions have eased is expected to come from the conduct of senior PML-N figures in upcoming party and assembly business, as well as decisions on cabinet formation. Cooperation from Qadir and other influential leaders would strengthen Gilani's position, while continued disagreements could complicate the new government's early political agenda in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.