- AJK president’s forward bloc causing trouble for PTI.
- Sultan Mehmood group has support of PPP and PML-N.
- AJK PM’s seat fell vacant after Tanveer Ilyas’ disqualification.
MUZAFFARABAD: Lawmakers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will elect a new prime minister today amid groupings in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The election was announced after Sardar Tanveer Ilyas‘ disqualification by the AJK High Court in a contempt case.
The PTI enjoys a majority in the AJK Legislative Assembly, but their path to secure a candidate loyal to Imran Khan as the premier may get difficult.
AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry has rebelled against his own party and created a forward bloc in the assembly. According to sources, Chaudhry’s forward bloc has the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
However, PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir told Daily Jang that as per a “power-sharing formula” their alliance was with the PPP.
“If the candidate for PM was from PPP then we would have been bound to vote for him,” explained Qadir. He added that the PPP did not contact the party when it was negotiating with the forward bloc and neither did the latter contact them.
“If the situation remains like this then PML-N, with its seven votes, will make its own decision,” said the PML-N leader.
However, sources shared that after seeing Qadir’s reaction AJK President Chaudhry reached out to the PML-N to seek support for the forward bloc candidate.
Sardar Tanveer Ilyas disqualified
Last week, in a major setback to PTI, AJK High Court disqualified Sardar Tanveer Ilyas for contempt of court.
The decision of the high court came after Ilyas was summoned to AJK’s supreme court and high court for using a “threatening tone” in one of his speeches.
The court declared Ilyas ineligible from holding any public office and asked AJK’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Abdul Rasheed Sulehria to hold polls for a new prime minister.
