Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Barrister Iftikhar Gilani has been elected as the 17th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Gilani secured 30 votes in the AJK Legislative Assembly, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Mukhtar Khan Abbasi, who received 14 votes. A total of 44 members participated in the election, while the Speaker did not vote. PML-N leader Ghulam Qadir, who had expressed reservations, also stayed away from the voting and the party meeting. Gilani was elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly on a technocrat seat on the PML-N ticket in the recent elections. He first became a member of the assembly in 2011 and previously served as AJK education minister. Eid Milad-un-Nabi: Zardari, Shehbaz urge nation to follow Prophet’s teachings The PML-N had finalised Gilani as its candidate a day earlier after consultations on forming a new government in Azad Kashmir. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. The meeting discussed the formation of the new PML-N government, parliamentary strategy, cabinet formation and government priorities. Senator Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir and former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider attended the meeting. Newly elected Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri and Iftikhar Gilani also participated in the consultations. The meeting also discussed measures to improve governance and the functioning of government institutions in the region. Gilani’s election comes as the PML-N moves to consolidate its position and establish its government in Azad Kashmir following recent political and legislative developments. Post navigation PIMS Hospital Fire: Nawaz Sharif calls for strict action over newborn deaths
