ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has completed internal consultations regarding the expected change of government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and decided not to vote for the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) nominee for the office of prime minister, sources informed Geo on Tuesday. According to party insiders, the PMLN meeting on the in-house change in Azad Kashmir was attended by senior leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam, along with PMLN AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, members of the parliamentary party and central office-bearers.
Sources said the party leadership agreed that while the PMLN would support the PPP’s move for a change of government, it would not become a part of the new setup in Azad Kashmir. It was further decided that the no-confidence motion and the election of the Leader of the House were separate matters. The meeting also resolved to continue consultations with the PPP regarding upcoming elections in Azad Kashmir to ensure coordination on broader political strategy. Meanwhile, sources within the PPP confirmed that Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq had been given the deadline of 2pm to tender his resignation. The party reportedly sent a formal message to the prime minister, warning that a no-confidence motion would be submitted after the deadline if he failed to step down. On the other hand, Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has decided to contest the no-confidence move, asserting his intent to face the challenge within the assembly. In a statement issued a day earlier, the AJK prime minister said, “If anyone has enough numbers, they should bring a no-confidence motion.”
PPP sources claimed the party currently enjoys the support of 36 members in the Legislative Assembly, giving it a comfortable majority to push through the no-confidence motion. The ‘required number’ for tabling no-confidence motion against Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has been reached, with the support of 36 members of the assembly. According to the constitution, only 27 members are required for such a motion and for the election of the prime minister. The Pakistan Peoples Party had already secured the backing of 27 members. This number rose to 36 after PMLN President Shah Ghulam Qadir and former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider signed the motion, adding the party’s nine members to the tally. The motion, however, could not be submitted on Tuesday.
Under the Azad Kashmir Interim Act, a no-confidence motion against the prime minister must also name a nominated successor. A vote against the incumbent prime minister will consequently be counted as a vote in favour of the PPP’s nominated candidate. Interestingly, the space for the nominee’s name was left blank in the motion against the prime minister. According to sources, the PPP parliamentary team travelling to Muzaffarabad to file the motion will be given a sealed envelope by President Asif Ali Zardari containing the name of their candidate. Just before submission, the team is expected to write the name in the blank space and then file the motion in the Speaker’s Chamber of the Legislative Assembly.
In a related development, a meeting between the leadership of Azad Kashmir chapters of the PPP and PMLN was held following a meeting of the central leadership meeting of both parties at the President House in Islamabad on Monday night.
It was attended by PPP President Chaudhry Yasin, Secretary General Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, PMLN President Shah Ghulam Qadir, Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider, Senior Vice President Mushtaq Minhas, and former ministers Dr Najeeb Naqi and Iftikhar Gilani. The leaders held a detailed exchange of views on the future political landscape and power-sharing formula. On the occasion, PMLN President Shah Ghulam Qadir assured the PPP leadership that his party’s nine members would vote against PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.
