PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on Monday announced that his party and the PML-N had agreed on bringing a no-confidence motion against the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference with Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Kaira said: “It has been decided that the current AJK govt, which our parties were part of, has become a basis of creating a crisis instead of solving problems.”
He said twice, crises of such a nature had occurred that had compelled the federal government to go and resolve them. “Now there is a consensus that a no-confidence motion will be brought against it and the PPP and PML-N will be together,” Kaira added.
The PPP leader further said that the PML-N had previously announced that it would sit in the opposition, and while this may not have been the PPP’s desired wish, it still accepted the decision and agreed to it.
Kaira said better governance, political stability, problem resolution and free and fair elections are the needs of the people of AJK, to ensure “true representatives of the region” could be elected and form their government.
“The timing of the [no-confidence] move will be consulted with the prime minister.”
The planning minister said the PML-N considered the current AJK setup “completely unsuccessful” in fulfilling its responsibilities. He added that due to this reason, the two coalition partners in the Centre had to form a high-level committee for the region to engage in negotiations to resolve the crisis-like situation.
“What clearly came to the fore in that entire situation was that the current setup remained unsuccessful in living up to the people’s aspirations. Due to our commitment to the people of Kashmir for good governance and opportunities for prosperity, the current setup inevitably needs to be changed … through a no-confidence motion.”
He elaborated that the PML-N’s AJK chapter had decided that it would form part of the next government, but would play its democratic role and represent the people from the opposition benches.
Sanaullah also criticised the incumbent government in the Himalayan region, and said it has failed in discharging its duties and responsibilities, adding that the vacuum created by lack of governance led to multiple crisis-like situations in the region.
“Whichever government is formed, will solve the people’s issues and serve them and then credible, fair and free elections will be held.”
The PPP now appears to be ready to install its own candidate to lead the regional government in light of the imminent exit of the incumbent prime minister, Anwarul Haq.
The plan to form the regional government was approved by President Asif Ali Zardari, who met the AJK lawmakers on Saturday, and the decision seemingly led to lawmakers from the ‘forward bloc’ joining the PPP, a coalition partner of the PML-N in the Centre.
After his meeting with the AJK lawmakers, President Zardari also spoke with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take him into confidence over his party’s decision and strategy to form a government in Azad Kashmir.
The AJK Legislative Assembly has 52 members and to achieve a simple majority, a party requires the support of 27 members. Presently, the PPP has 17 seats, the PML-N nine, the PTI four, and the Muslim Conference and Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party each have one member.
The PPP’s ranks swelled to 27 after ten more lawmakers from the forward bloc joined it on Sunday. The new entrants announced their decision a day after President Zardari met his party lawmakers from AJK and reaffirmed his commitment to the politics of reconciliation and tolerance. The Saturday meeting had reviewed governance challenges in AJK, the evolving political landscape, and the party’s strategy for forming a new government in the region.
Sources said President Zardari briefed the AJK parliamentary party on the decision to take charge of the AJK government, calling it an “extraordinary and challenging step” for the PPP. “The PPP is assuming responsibility in difficult circumstances, but I am confident the party will deliver in AJK just as it has in the past,” he was quoted as saying.
With almost six months remaining in the assembly’s term, this will be the fourth prime minister in AJK in as many years. In August 2021, the PTI picked Abdul Qayyum Niazi as the premier after he was named for the slot by then-PM Imran Khan.
Niazi secured 35 votes against the joint opposition candidate Latif Akbar, who bagged only 15 votes, in the 53-seat house. After nine months, Niazi resigned from the position and was replaced by PTI regional president Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.
In April 2023, Ilyas was disqualified by the full court bench of the AJK High Court from being a member of the legislative assembly for contempt. He was then replaced by Haq, who is likely to be replaced by a PPP candidate after spending over two years in power.
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