Muzaffarabad (HRNW): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Barrister Iftikhar Gilani has taken oath as the new Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while Acting President Chaudhry Tariq Farooq also took oath as acting president.
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly session was held under the chairmanship of Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, during which the new prime minister was elected.
Barrister Iftikhar Gilani, the PML-N candidate, secured 30 votes, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Sardar Mukhtar Khan, who received 14 votes.
The PML-N speaker and deputy speaker had previously secured 32 votes each. However, Gilani received two fewer votes in the prime ministerial election. PML-N Azad Kashmir president Shah Ghulam Qadir was also absent from the session.
Commitment to Development
Addressing the gathering after taking oath, Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani said his government would work collectively and seek to build an Azad Kashmir that could become an example for the world.
He acknowledged governance challenges in the region and pledged to take measures to create employment opportunities.
Gilani said there was also a need to improve hospitals and healthcare facilities, adding that his government would seek to make development in Azad Kashmir a model for others.
He said, “This government belongs to the people, and this will be the era of the people of Kashmir.”
Political and Legal Background
Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani is regarded as a prominent PML-N leader in Azad Kashmir politics. He comes from a well-known political family in Muzaffarabad and has extensive experience in law, education and parliamentary politics.
He received his early education in Islamabad before travelling to the United Kingdom for higher education, where he obtained a Bar-at-Law degree.
After returning to Pakistan, he began practicing law in Islamabad and remained associated with the legal profession for around a decade. During his legal career, he gained experience in constitutional and legal matters before becoming active in parliamentary and political affairs.
