Chaudhry Anwarul Haq was elected unopposed as the 15th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday, replacing Sardar Tanvir Ilyas, who was disqualified by the AJK High Court over contempt earlier this month.
Haq’s election means the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has lost its government in AJK, as he is a member of a forward bloc within the party and secured the support of the opposition parties to secure his win. Haq secured 48 votes out of the 52-strong house—the largest mandate in the history of the assembly. The four lawmakers who did not vote for him included two members of the PTI and one lawmaker each from the Muslim Conference and the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party.
Reportedly, the election was initially slated to be conducted on Monday, but a session convened for the purpose was adjourned before polling could take. Sources claim the PTI attempted to resolve differences within their ranks prior to Thursday’s vote, but was unable to achieve any results. As a consequence, it nominated no candidate for the prime minister’s post.
Early on Thursday, an emergency session directed candidates to submit nomination papers within 15 minutes and then proceeded directly to voting. Haq was the sole candidate contesting and was elected with the support of the PTI’s forward bloc, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).
In his inaugural address after the election, Haq maintained that he had not contested the premier’s election as a PTI candidate, adding that he had won the support of both PDM and PTI members. Reportedly, he has entered into a power-sharing agreement with the former opposition, but it is as yet unclear what shape this would take.