Muzaffarabad/Kashgil News
The Pakistan Muslim League (N), which claimed to have won the most seats in the recent fake general elections in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, has nominated Barrister Iftikhar Ali Gilani for the post of Prime Minister, however, differences have emerged within the party over this decision.
PML-N Central Secretary for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Thursday on the social networking website X that party leader and President Nawaz Sharif has nominated Barrister Iftikhar Ali Gilani for the post of Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir.
The election and swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir will be held in the Legislative Assembly session on August 28.
According to sources, the names of Barrister Iftikhar Gilani and PML-N Azad Kashmir President Shah Ghulam Qadir were previously under consideration for the post of Prime Minister. On Wednesday, a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held detailed consultations on both the names, after which the final nomination was given to party president Nawaz Sharif.
According to party sources, Nawaz Sharif used his authority to nominate Barrister Iftikhar Gilani for the post of Prime Minister.
However, some key leaders of the PML-N are unhappy with the nomination of Barrister Iftikhar Gilani. According to a key party official, Shah Ghulam Qadir is of the opinion that he should have been nominated for the post of Prime Minister, while former Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider is also not happy with the decision.
Sources say that Shah Ghulam Qadir and Raja Farooq Haider are holding consultations in Islamabad and may decide on the future course of action.
Former Prime Minister Khawaja Farooq Haider also commented on the current political situation in a poetic manner in a social media post without naming names.
On the other hand, Senior Vice President of PML-N Azad Kashmir Mushtaq Minhas confirmed that Nawaz Sharif has directed Barrister Iftikhar Gilani to submit his nomination papers for the post of Prime Minister.
Barrister Iftikhar Gilani’s nomination is also under criticism because he lost his seat in the recent general elections and could not succeed in the 2021 elections before that. Later, the PML-N elected him as a member of the Legislative Assembly on the reserved seat of technocrats.
Some users on social media have raised questions about nominating a leader who came to the assembly through a reserved seat for the post of Prime Minister despite his defeat in the general elections.
However, according to political analysts, despite the differences, there is no immediate threat to the PML-N government, as the number of PML-N members in the Legislative Assembly is 32, while 27 votes are required to elect the Prime Minister.
According to them, there are reports that Shah Ghulam Qadir and Khawaja Farooq Haider will not attend the assembly session on August 28.
On the other hand, the government will have to face major challenges like protests by the Public Action Committee, law and order situation and ongoing tension in various areas after assuming power.
Meanwhile, general elections could not be held in seven constituencies of Azad Kashmir due to poor law and order situation. Despite the incomplete electoral process in these constituencies, elections were held on reserved seats for women, technocrats and clerics.
According to Chief Election Commissioner Azad Kashmir Justice (retd) Mustafa Mughal, the interim constitution clearly states that if one or more seats of the Legislative Assembly are vacant, it does not affect the proceedings of the assembly, hence the elections for reserved seats were held in accordance with the constitution.
Thus, after the nomination of Barrister Iftikhar Gilani, the focus is on the differences within the PML-N and the future political strategy, while the situation will become clearer with the election of the Prime Minister in the Legislative Assembly on August 28.
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