AJK sees power shift as PPP’s Faisal Rathore replaces Anwarul Haq as PM | The Express Tribune

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday voted out Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and picked Pakistan Peoples Partynominee Faisal Mumtaz Rathore to replace him, ending days of political manoeuvring in Muzaffarabad.

The session, presided over by Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, began with lawmakers formally tabling the no-confidence motion against Haq. The move came from Sardar Javed Ayub, Chaudhry Qasim Majeed and their colleagues, who put forward Rathore as their choice for the top job.

When the voting began, Rathore sailed through with 36 votes, while only two members opposed him. With the required simple majority being 27, the result was decisive. Rathore is set to become the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, with his oath-taking planned for Tuesday.

Outside the Assembly, security was visibly heightened. Only lawmakers, authorised staff and accredited media were allowed in as officials kept entry tightly controlled. All members were instructed to walk into the House together.

Haq, elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, opted not to resign and instead chose to face the vote head-on. The PPP had already thrown its weight behind Rathore, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, while backing the no-confidence motion, made it clear it didn’t plan to join the new government.

The PPP’s push for a power shift follows President Asif Ali Zardari’s political roadmap announced last month. The party filed the no-confidence motion last week, nominated Rathore for the top office and submitted the resolution with the signatures required to set the process in motion.

Under Assembly rules, once the motion is filed, it must be listed for business within three to seven days. After that, the speaker is constitutionally bound to fix a voting day,and once that day arrives, the session must continue until the vote is held. Speaker Akbar convened Monday’s session under Article 27 of the AJK Constitution.

Though the PML-N signed the motion, it declined to back the PPP candidate and will now sit on the opposition benches, positioning itself carefully for the July 2026 elections. Across Muzaffarabad, security remained tight, and PPP’s central leadership is expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday.

The incoming government will have plenty to navigate,honouring action committee agreements, responding to the PML-N’s push for early polls and keeping the cabinet capped at 20 ministers.

Who is Faisal Mumtaz Rathore?

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, born on April 11,1978 in Rawalpindi, comes from one of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s most recognised political families. His father, the late Mumtaz Hussain Rathore — a senior PPP figure — served in several key roles: senior minister in 1975, prime minister in 1990, leader of the opposition in 1991 and speaker of the Assembly in 1996.

His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, was also elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly and led the PPP Women’s Wing. The Rathores are known as one of the PPP’s founding families in the region. Faisalstudied in Rawalpindi and later graduated from the University of the Punjab. After his father’s passing, his elder brother Masood Mumtaz Rathore filled the Assembly seat in 1999 for the remaining term.

Faisal entered electoral politics in 2006 from LA-17 (Haveli Kahuta). He won his first Assembly seat in 2011 on a PPP ticket and joined Chaudhry Abdul Majeed’s cabinet as Minister for Auqaf and Minister for Electricity. He was arrested in a political case in 2016 but was later cleared.

On March 23, 2017, he became PPP’s general secretary in Azad Kashmir,a role he still holds. Re-elected in 2021, he has remained active on the opposition benches.

Soft-spoken, conciliatory and well-regarded across political, military and civil society circles — especially within the Awami Action Committee — Faisal is seen inside the PPP as a trusted ally of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur.