Rana Sanaullah says his party will only support the no-confidence motion but will not be part of the new government.
Coalition partners in the federal government, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party, have decided to move a no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Anwarul Haq.
The announcement was made by senior PML-N and PPP leaders Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Raja Pervez Ashraf after a meeting held at the President House in Islamabad. They said both parties had reached a consensus that the AJK government had failed to deliver, making a change in leadership through a no-confidence motion “inevitable”.
Kaira revealed that while his party had invited the PML-N to join the government, the latter rejected the offer. However, the PML-N agreed to support the move to oust Anwarul Haq. Sanaullah said the PML-N will only join hands with the PPP to remove the AJK prime minister through a no-confidence motion, but will not be part of the new government.
Also read: PPP wins simple majority to form government in AJK
The development follows a recent meeting between PPP women’s wing chairperson Faryal Talpur and members of the PTI’s advanced bloc in the AJK Legislative Assembly. Around 10 PTI members, who were also ministers in Anwarul Haq’s cabinet, met in Talpur and announced their decision to join the PPP.
With the support of these 10 legislators, the PPP would have achieved a simple majority of 27 members in the 53-member assembly. Among those who knew Talpur were Chaudhry Rasheed, Yasir Sultan, Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Ikhlaq, Sardar Muhammad Hussain, Majid Khan, Asim Sharif Butt, Akbar Ibrahim and Faheem Rabbani.
To consolidate his position, Talpur organized a grand dinner at Sindh House in Islamabad, attended by PPP parliamentarians, representatives of refugee constituencies and members of the Barrister Sultan group.
Party insiders say the PPP now has the support of more than 30 assembly members, including five from the Barrister Sultan group and five from the refugee seats, while the support of two members remains confidential.
Although the PPP had already obtained a majority, it initially hesitated to table the motion independently. The party subsequently approached the PML-N, which initially showed reluctance but later agreed to support the move against the AJK prime minister.
Earlier, rumors had emerged about the dismissal of Prime Minister Anwarul Haq amid political unrest in AJK. However, Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry dismissed those reports and said claims about the resignation or dismissal of the AJK chief minister were not true. He clarified that no such decision or debate was being considered at the federal level.
