The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the general election in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) by bagging 25 seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
The PTI is set to form the next government in the region after winning a simple majority. The next task now is selecting the Prime Minister of the region.
Who are the candidates?
According to media reports and analysts, there are five main candidates for the voted post of Prime Minister: Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, Barrister Sultan Mehmood, Khawaja Farooq, Azhar Sadiq and Abdul Qayyum Niazi.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood is a former AJK Prime Minister. He won the AJK Legislative Assembly seat from his native Mirpur LA-3 constituency. Mahmood has been elected to the AJKLA eight times and had also been the prime minister when he was associated with the PPP. He joined the PTI in 2015 and is the party’s AJK President.
Billionaire real estate tycoon Sardar Tanveer won from Bagh constituency even though he belongs to Rawalakot. He is a newcomer to the PTI and is currently serving as the Special Assistant to the Punjab chief minister.
Khawaja Farooq Ahmed is a former AJK minister and PTI’s central joint secretary. He emerged victorious in a tight competition in Muzaffarabad city with the PML-N and an independent candidate.
There is still uncertainty as to who will be the next AJK premier as the list of prospective candidates rises. Azhar Sadiq and Abdul Qayyum Niazi were not in the run initially but their names have come to the fore recently.
Who will make the decision?
Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken interviews of the elected members of the Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly for the prized post of prime minister.
There are reportedly being questioned about their vision for the region and their policies for tourism, hydropower, minerals, health, education, border, development works, and future plans.
PTI AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood told the media that there was no number game and everyone was united while Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan said that consultation is underway. Both were the frontrunners but there is speculation that some other candidate might be considered.
Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the prime minister has started interviews of candidates and will make the decision without any pressure.
The PTI won majority seats in the recent elections and a decision for speaker, deputy speaker and other posts is also yet to be made. All eyes are who will be prized post as Premier of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
