ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) parliamentary party meeting, chaired by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur, ended without a decision on the party’s nominee for the AJK premiership or the planned no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq.
According to sources, the party remained undecided about a new leader of the house in the AJK Legislative Assembly in case the no-confidence motion against Anwar-ul-Haq succeeds.
The meeting concluded without finalising a name, after which the PPP’s AJK leadership departed from Zardari House, sources confirmed to HUM News English.
Sources said the party could not agree on when and how to move the no-confidence motion, while internal differences over the candidate for prime minister persisted.
Reports indicate that the PPP leadership failed to reconcile factions within the parliamentary party, as groups led by Sardar Yaqoob, Latif Akbar, and Chaudhry Yaseen refused to withdraw support for their respective candidates.
Sources said that the PPP central leadership has now taken over the authority to decide on the nomination for AJK prime minister, with an official announcement expected in Muzaffarabad.
Talking to the media, Bilawal said that his party is in a position to form the government in AJK, adding that the decision about the region’s next prime minister will be made from Kashmir, not Islamabad.
He said that the PPP has always raised its voice for Kashmir and fought for its freedom on international platforms.
“As foreign minister, I conveyed the voice of the Kashmiri people to global forums,” he said.
The PPP chairman said the party’s performance and struggle were evident to everyone, asserting that the PPP has stood with the people of Kashmir whenever they needed support. “The history of the PPP and Kashmir is before everyone,” he said.
Sources said that a no-confidence motion will be tabled against Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq if he refuses to resign.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has announced its support for the PPP’s motion but decided not to become part of the new government.
The AJK Legislative Assembly currently has 52 members following the resignation of one member.
A simple majority requires the support of 27 lawmakers. The PPP has 17 members, while the PML-N holds nine.
Ten members from Barrister Sultan’s group and the Forward Bloc have extended their support to the PPP, bringing the party’s total strength to 36 — well above the required majority of 27.
Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq’s group currently comprises 10 members, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) AJK has four, while the Muslim Conference and Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP) hold one seat each.
Overseas seat member Muhammad Iqbal has already resigned. If the no-confidence motion fails, it cannot be moved again for six months.