The party claims to have secured the support of 30 lawmakers, including many from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan People’s Party, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chapter, has secured a simple majority in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after garnering support from several legislators, positioning itself to form the next government in AJK.
According to Express News, five Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers met PPP women’s wing president Faryal Talpur in Islamabad and announced their decision to join the PPP. The ministers (Chaudhry Rasheed, Yasir Sultan, Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Ikhlaq and Sardar Muhammad Hussain) were previously in the AJK cabinet and have now pledged their support to the PPP in the upcoming government formation.
Additionally, four other members (Majid Khan, Asim Sharif Butt, Akbar Ibrahim and Faheem Rabbani) also gathered in Talpur and expressed their support for the PPP, taking the total number of legislators backing the party to 27.
Sources said Faryal Talpur is leading the PPP’s efforts to finalize the formation of the new government, with key decisions expected within the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, members of the Barrister Sultan Mehmood group also gathered in Talpur and announced their support for the PPP in a no-confidence move against the current setup. The meeting was attended by Yasir Sultan, Sardar Muhammad Hussain, Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Rasheed and Chaudhry Ikhlaq.
To cement the alliance, Talpur has organized a grand dinner at Sindh House in Islamabad which was attended by members of the PPP parliamentary party, representatives of refugee constituencies and members of the Barrister Sultan group.
According to PPP leaders, the party now has the support of more than 30 assembly members, including five from the Barrister Sultan group and five from the refugee seats. Support for two members is reportedly being kept confidential.
Party insiders said the dinner served as a show of force, demonstrating the PPP’s numerical advantage and signaling its readiness to form the next government in AJK.
Read more: No dismissal or resignation of AJK PM, Islamabad clarifies amid reports of dismissals
Soon after the recent riots in AJK, rumors began circulating about the possible dismissal of Prime Minister Anwarul Haq. However, these speculations were put to rest when Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry refuted the reports.
Speaking to reporters in the federal capital, Chaudhry said claims regarding the resignation or dismissal of the AJK chief minister were not true, adding that neither such a move nor any related discussion was under consideration. He reiterated that there has been no progress in this regard.
