ISLAMABAD; President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephonic conversation on Sunday to discuss the fast-changing political landscape in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), sources confirmed to Geo News.
During the discussion, President Zardari briefed the prime minister on the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) strategy for establishing a new government in the region. Following the call, Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) committee on AJK affairs — headed by Ahsan Iqbal and including Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam — to initiate dialogue with the PPP. The committee has since begun consultations with PML-N’s AJK leadership, the sources added.
Meanwhile, PML-N parliamentary leader and former AJK premier Raja Farooq Haider reaffirmed his party’s stance of staying in the opposition, ruling out any participation in the government formation process. Addressing a party meeting, he insisted that the decision to remain in opposition “is final.”
In a separate statement to Geo News, PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir admitted that backing current AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq had been a “mistake,” adding that PM Anwar’s reliance on individual lawmakers rather than parties proved the decision wrong. Qadir said his party would not vote for any group and hoped PM Shehbaz would respect the AJK chapter’s position.
On the PPP side, party leaders held separate strategy meetings chaired by President Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad. The meeting at the President’s House, attended by Bilawal, Faryal Talpur, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and Qamar Zaman Kaira, reportedly approved moving a no-confidence motion against the incumbent AJK premier. Sources said the PPP president would finalise the party’s nominee after further internal discussions.
Bilawal is expected to formally announce the PPP’s government formation plan on Monday, with Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin and Chaudhry Latif Akbar among the top contenders for the premiership. Yasin told reporters the party had “made its final decision” to form the government.
In the AJK Legislative Assembly of 52 members, a simple majority requires 27 votes. The PPP currently holds 17 seats, PML-N nine, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) four, while the Muslim Conference and Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party have one member each. Additionally, a 20-member forward bloc exists within the assembly.
To achieve the majority, PPP needs support from at least 10 more lawmakers. With PML-N opting to stay in opposition, the party has intensified contacts with forward bloc members to secure the required numbers.
Meanwhile, sources suggest AJK Premier Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has begun consultations amid growing pressure, with an in-house change likely through resignation or a no-confidence motion within the next 48 hours. PPP leaders claim they have enough support to pass the motion if necessary.
Qamar Zaman Kaira described the political situation in AJK as “concerning for all parties,” noting that further discussions with President Zardari are ongoing. He added that the PPP awaits an official confirmation from PML-N regarding its opposition stance.
Significant political developments are expected in the coming days, with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari set to make a key announcement on Monday regarding the party’s next steps and its candidate for the AJK premiership.
