No-confidence motion filed in AJK Assembly; PPP names Faisal Rathore as PM candidate

A no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq was formally submitted to the Legislative Assembly on Friday. The resolution, delivered to Special Secretary Amjed Latif Abbasi, follows PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira’s October 27 announcement that the PPP and PML-N would jointly move to oust the government.

The AJK Assembly has 52 members, requiring 27 for a simple majority. Earlier in the day, PPP’s AJK President confirmed that the party had nominated Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as its candidate for prime minister.

The motion was submitted by PPP lawmakers Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Sardar Javed Ayoub, Malik Zafar Iqbal and Chaudhry Ali Shan Soni. Assembly Secretary Chaudhry Basharat Hussain — a relative of PM Haq — was notably absent from office.

Signed by 25 lawmakers (23 from PPP and two from PML-N), the resolution accuses PM Haq of losing the Assembly’s confidence and damaging the state’s “constitutional, ideological and democratic framework.” The document names Rathore as the proposed successor, although his name was handwritten in shortly before submission as signatures were collected without a nominee listed.

Nineteen of the signatories are current members of Haq’s cabinet, none of whom resigned. When questioned, Malik Zafar Iqbal said they were awaiting directions from their central leadership.

Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar has summoned the house to vote on the resolution at 3 pm on Monday.

Speaking outside Zardari House in Islamabad, PPP AJK President Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, accompanied by senior leader Raja Pervez Ashraf, said the party had met the required numbers: “God willing, PPP will form the government in AJK in the coming days.” Ashraf described Rathore as an experienced and educated figure with prior legislative experience.

PPP leaders emphasised that the party aims to ease public hardships and prepare for upcoming elections. They reiterated PPP’s longstanding stance on Kashmir and asserted that the party, being the largest parliamentary bloc, has the strength to form the next government.

Names under consideration for the premiership earlier included Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Chaudhry Yasin, Rathore and Sardar Yaqub, according to party sources.

Who is Faisal Mumtaz Rathore?

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, a senior PPP leader, comes from one of AJK’s prominent political families. Born on April 11, 1978, he is the son of former AJK prime minister Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore. His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, also served in the legislature and led the PPP Women’s Wing.

The Rathore family, based in Haveli district, is regarded as one of PPP’s founding families in the region.

Rathore completed his education in Rawalpindi and graduated from the University of the Punjab. He entered politics in 2006 and won his first assembly seat in 2011. He later served as minister for electricity and the AJK Logging and Sawmills Corporation.

Arrested in 2016 in what was seen as a politically motivated case, he was later cleared of charges. In 2017, he was appointed secretary general of PPP AJK, a post he still holds. He returned to the Assembly in 2021 and joined Haq’s coalition government in 2023 as minister for Local Government and Rural Development, also leading negotiations with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee.

Known for his calm and conciliatory style, Rathore maintains working ties across political divides. He has also hosted a programme on a national TV channel and is considered a trusted aide of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Faryal Talpur, representing PPP’s ideological and middle-class cadre.