The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday unseated Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq through a decisive no-confidence vote and elevated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nominee Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as the region’s new premier, its fourth in as many years, according to “Kashmir Media News”.
The dramatic session, chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, began with the formal tabling of the motion by Sardar Javed Ayub, Chaudhry Qasim Majeed and allied lawmakers. Rathore, backed by the PPP and supported for the motion by the PML-N, secured an overwhelming 36 votes, with only two cast against him; far beyond the simple majority of 27 needed for a change of government. His oath taking ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday.
Anwarul Haq, elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, chose to weather the vote rather than resign. His coalition had weakened in recent months as the PPP mobilized its ranks following President Asif Ali Zardari’s newly announced political roadmap. The party submitted the no-confidence resolution last week, triggering the mandatory constitutional timeline that required the vote to be held without adjournment.
Security was tightened across Muzaffarabad as lawmakers were escorted into the Assembly in a controlled, lockstep entry. Access to the Secretariat was restricted to legislators, staff and accredited journalists.
The political reshuffle arrives at a delicate moment for AJK. Rathore’s incoming government is expected to face a demanding agenda: implementing commitments made to popular action committees, navigating the PML-N’s demand for early elections, and maintaining a cabinet capped at 20 ministers. The PML-N, though it supported the motion, declined to join the new government and will occupy the opposition benches as it positions itself for the 2026 polls.
Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, born in 1978 in Rawalpindi, is heir to one of AJK’s most influential political lineages. His late father, Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, served as prime minister, opposition leader, senior minister and speaker. His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, was an elected legislator and a leading figure in the PPP’s women’s wing.
Known for his conciliatory temperament and understated political style, Rathore has built a reputation as one of the PPP’s steady hands, trusted by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur and respected across political, military and civil society circles.
