Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Law Minister Abdul Waheed announced on Sunday that the no-confidence motion against incumbent Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq will be presented in the Legislative Assembly within the next three to four days. The move comes amid escalating political activity in the region, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) claiming to have secured a majority to form the next government.
Waheed said the delay in presenting the motion was due to ongoing consultations with stakeholders but assured that the PPP now holds enough seats to form a government without the need for a coalition. He added that the party’s strength had risen to 27 after members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) forward bloc, led by Barrister Sultan Mahmood, joined the PPP.
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The law minister also clarified that PTI defectors could not be penalized under the floor-crossing law since PTI has not been registered in AJK for the past two years. He further stated that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would support the PPP in the no-confidence motion, despite its earlier stance of remaining in opposition.
The PPP’s bid to form the government in AJK gained momentum following a meeting on October 26, where ten PTI legislators joined the party after meeting Faryal Talpur, sister of President Asif Ali Zardari, at Zardari House in Islamabad. PPP and PML-N subsequently filed a joint no-confidence motion against PM Anwarul Haq.
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PPP AJK Secretary-General Faisal Mumtaz Rathore recently told Geo News that the party now enjoys the open support of 37 members and is ready to announce the name of the new prime minister soon. Law Minister Abdul Waheed confirmed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would make the final decision on the new Leader of the House once the motion is tabled.