Overview
- Lawmakers in Muzaffarabad elected Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani as AJK’s 17th prime minister after he received 30 of 44 votes cast in the assembly on Friday.
- PML‑N supremo Nawaz Sharif nominated Gilani and the party’s parliamentary strength with allied support produced the winning margin despite absences from some regional leaders.
- Acting AJK President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq administered Gilani’s oath of office following the vote and federal leaders including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly congratulated him.
- Tension within PML‑N surfaced when AJK party president Shah Ghulam Qadir stayed away from the session in protest over his omission from the nomination, underscoring local dissent over Islamabad’s role.
- The outcome relied heavily on reserved technocrat and other seats after Gilani rejoined the assembly on a technocrat quota, and the unresolved polls in seven Poonch and Sudhnoti constituencies plus sustained protest claims continue to cloud the new government’s mandate.