MUZAFFARABAD: A no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has been tabled in a special session of the Legislative Assembly.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Chaudhry Qasim moved the no-trust motion in the session chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar. In the motion, PPP nominated Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as the potential successor of Anwar-ul-Haq.
The resolution, submitted to the Assembly secretariat on Friday, bears the signatures of 25 lawmakers.
Currently, the voting is underway as the no-confidence motion requires the backing of 27 lawmakers for a simple majority in a 53-member House. With Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) support, the PPP claimed to have secured 37 members.
In the history of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the seventh vote of no-confidence since 1975 has been tabled. If the vote of no-confidence is approved, joint PPP candidate Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore will become the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The PPP moved to consolidate its government in the autonomous region shortly after President Asif Ali Zardari revealed the political strategy last month.
The party bolstered its strength in the Legislative Assembly when 10 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers joined the PPP on October 26 during a meeting with President Zardari’s sister, Faryal Talpur, at Zardari House in Islamabad.
Among those who joined the PPP were Muhammad Hussain, Chaudhry Yasir, Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq, Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed, Zafar Iqbal Malik, Faheem Akhtar Rabbani, Abdul Majid Khan, Muhammad Akbar Ibrahim, and Asim Sharif Butt.
Meanwhile, strict security measures have been put in place at the Assembly Secretariat, Ministers’ Block, and Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Only members of the assembly and employees of the Assembly Secretariat will be allowed entry. Media representatives will be permitted only if they have been issued passes. All members of the assembly will enter the House together.
In 2021, PTI won the elections and formed the government. PTI founder Imran Khan appointed Sardar Qayyum Niazi as the prime minister. Later, upon Qayyum Niazi’s refusal to resign, PTI tabled a no-confidence motion in 2022. After its success, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was elected Prime Minister. When Sardar Tanveer was disqualified in a contempt of court case, rebellion erupted within PTI.
On 22 April 2023, the then speaker of the assembly, Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, presided over the session and was elected prime minister with the support of 48 assembly members.
