The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Friday elected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Iftikhar Gillani as the new prime minister of AJK.
Gillani secured 30 votes in the 44-member ballot, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Mukhtar Ahmad Khan Abbasi, who received 14 votes.
PML-N lawmaker Shah Ghulam Qadir was absent from the Assembly and did not participate in the election.
Gillani’s election followed discussions between the PML-N and PPP over the possibility of establishing a coalition government in AJK.
According to reports, the PML-N had approached the PPP through back-channel contacts and offered the party a role in the new administration. The proposed arrangement reportedly included several important positions, among them the AJK presidency and deputy speakership of the Legislative Assembly.
The PPP ultimately rejected the coalition proposal and opted to sit in opposition, paving the way for a direct contest between the two parties’ candidates for the premiership.
With 30 votes, Gillani secured a comfortable majority in the Assembly and will now take charge of the AJK government under the PML-N.