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Barrister Iftikhar Gilani of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has been sworn in as the 17th prime minister of Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Gilani took the oath on Friday (August 28) after securing a clear majority in the AJK Legislative Assembly election for prime minister. His rival, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Mukhtar Khan, received 14 votes.
The election was held during a session of the AJK Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. Both candidates were present in the assembly during the voting.
Before the ballot, Gilani and Mukhtar Khan shook hands, setting a cordial tone for the proceedings.
PML-N AJK chapter president Shah Ghulam Qadir was absent from the session, while senior party leader and former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider was present.
After taking oath, Gilani pledged to build an AJK that would serve as an example to the world through an inclusive and people-oriented government.
“We will move forward together,” he said.
Gilani acknowledged that AJK faces several governance challenges and said his government would work to address them while creating more employment opportunities. He also stressed the need to improve the quality of hospitals and healthcare services.
He said his administration’s development initiatives would set an example for others and described it as a “government of the people.”
“The era of the people of Kashmir will begin now,” Gilani said, expressing hope that both ordinary citizens and government employees would see tangible benefits from his administration.
Gilani is one of the PML-N’s prominent political figures in AJK. Born into a well-known political family in Muzaffarabad, he has extensive experience in law, education and parliamentary politics.
After completing his early education in Islamabad, he moved to the United Kingdom for higher studies, where he earned a Bar-at-Law degree. He later returned to Pakistan and began practising law in Islamabad.