Faisal Rathore takes oath as new AJK prime minister

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raja Faisal Rathore has been administered the oath on Tuesday as the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a day after securing the assembly’s support to replace ousted premier Anwarul Haq.

Rathore was sworn in by AJK Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Lateef Akbar during a formal ceremony held in Muzaffarabad.

The event saw high-profile attendance, including the governors of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, senior leader Faryal Talpur, and members of the high civil-military leadership.

The development comes a day after no-confidence motion against AJK PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq was successfully passed, ending his tenure following a decisive vote in the Legislative Assembly.

During the session, lawmakers cast their votes through a show of hands. According to the assembly’s count, 36 members voted in favour of the motion, while only 2 opposed it, clearing the way for a change in the AJK government.

Following the vote, PPP leader Rathore was elected as the new Leader of the House.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif contacted the newly elected prime minister of AJK via telephone and extended heartfelt congratulations on his election.

PM Shehbaz expressed best wishes for Rathore during his term of office, the PM Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The development and prosperity of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir are included in the priorities of the federal government,” said the prime minister.

The prime minister affirmed the federal government’s commitment to working closely with the AJK government for the welfare, economic progress, prosperity, peace, and security of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The federal government will provide all possible cooperation to the government of AJK, he stated.

Who is Faisal Rathore?

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, born April 11, 1978, in Rawalpindi, belongs to one of Azad Kashmir’s oldest political families and is the son of former AJK Prime Minister Mumtaz Hussain Rathore.

His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, was also a member of the Legislative Assembly and served as the PPP Women’s Wing president.

The Rathore family is considered among the founding pillars of the PPP in Azad Kashmir.

Faisal has actively been engaged in politics since his youth. He has served as secretary general of PPP AJK. He entered electoral politics in 2006, won his first seat in 2011, and later served as minister for education and minister for electricity.

Ahead of the no-confidence session, he resigned from his ministerial post, stating that he wished to contest the prime ministerial slot with full transparency.