Iftikhar Gillani elected AJK prime minister

Barrister Iftikhar Ali Gillani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was elected as the new prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, August 28, 2026, securing a majority in the legislative assembly following a contentious election period marked by protests and allegations of rigging. Gillani received 30 votes in the assembly session held in Muzaffarabad, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi, who garnered 14 votes.

The election took place in the 53-member assembly, though its current strength is 46 due to seven seats in the Poonch and Sudhnoti districts remaining vacant because of a law and order situation. Of the 46 present members, 44 participated in the vote. The speaker did not cast a ballot, and PMLN regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir was absent from the session. Following the vote count, Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq announced Gillani as the winner.

Gillani’s path to the premiership was unconventional. He lost in a direct election for a general seat but was later elected to the assembly on a reserved technocrat seat on August 24. His nomination by PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif, announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday...