– The voting on no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq will be held today (Monday).
The AJK Legislative Assembly secretariat has issued the agenda in this regard.
Meanwhile, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, the PPP nominee for the top slot, has secured the support of two additional members from the forward bloc.
AJK Minister for Education Diwan Chughtai has announced his support for the PPP after meeting with PPP Women’s Wing President Faryal Talpur. Moreover, another cabinet member Professor Taqdees Gillani has also withdrawn her support for the prime minister.
Taqdees Gillani was elected on a reserved seat for women. With the latest developments, the PPP now enjoys the backing of 38 members of the Legislative Assembly.
On the other hand, sources close to Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said that he intends to face the no-confidence motion.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Muslim Conference, and the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party have decided to remain neutral in the no-confidence process.
The PPP has claimed the support of more than 35 members for its candidate Faisal Rathore for the office of prime minister. If the motion succeeds, Rathore will be the 16th prime minister of Azad Kashmir, and the fourth of the current assembly.
The assembly session for voting on the no-confidence motion will begin at 3 pm in Muzaffarabad. A simple majority of 27 votes is required for the motion to succeed.
The Azad Kashmir assembly consists of 53 members, and 27 members’ support is required to elect a prime minister. The PPP had arranged a dinner on October 26 at Sindh House in Islamabad, which was attended by 27 members of the Legislative Assembly.
The next day, 10 ministers who belonged to the PTI forward bloc joined the PPP after a meeting with Faryal Talpur. As a result, the PPP gained a simple majority in the assembly.
At present, the Anwar-ul-Haq group has the support of only seven members, while the PTI has five and the Muslim Conference and JKPP each has one member.
THE MOTION
A no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq was submitted November 14 by members Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Sardar Javed Ayub, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Ali Shan Soni, and Rafiq Nayyar.
It may be noted that Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq had been asked to resign from his office. But he refused to step down, after which the PPP tabled the no-confidence motion.
President Asif Ali Zardari had approved bringing a no-confidence motion against him last month.