In-house change in AJK postponed due to PPP’s pending nomination

Delay links to PML-N’s demand for early elections, current assembly’s term ends in July, 2 months before elections

The in-house change in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been delayed as the Pakistan Peoples Party high command has yet to nominate an alternative Leader of the House in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly, causing repeated delays in submitting a no-confidence motion, say sources.

Despite claiming a numerical majority, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has struggled to assert its position for over a week and a half. Sources indicate that the decision to move the no-confidence motion is expected only after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari returns to the country, Express News reported.

The delay is also reportedly linked to the PML-N’s demand for early elections, which would prevent the PPP from gaining political advantage through in-house changes.

The current assembly’s term ends in July, and two months before elections, all development work is typically halted, and the authority over appointments and transfers is revoked.

Read: Bilawal says PPP is in a strong position to form government in AJK

Sources say the PML-N is firm on holding elections in March, meaning a new government would lose powers by January, two months before the vote. In December and January, the PPP would be unable to achieve its political goals. The party’s insistence on completing the assembly’s full term is reportedly a key reason behind the deadlock.

Meanwhile, around 80% of AJK’s development budget remains unspent, and about 2,000 immediate recruitment positions, along with initiatives like health cards, could offer political leverage to a new government.

Bilawal has claimed that the party is in a strong position to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the sitting prime minister faces a no-confidence motion.

The PPP earlier announced its intention to form the government in AJK during a meeting chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari. The party’s Azad Kashmir Parliamentary Group also met in Islamabad to discuss the political landscape.

Read More: PPP secures simple majority to form govt in AJK

On October 26, ten members of the PTI's forward bloc in AJK announced their decision to join the PPP, enabling the party to gain the required majority. The following day, the PPP and PML-N agreed to move a no-confidence motion against the AJK government. PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said his party would support the motion from the opposition benches.

However, a day later, in a surprise move, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf announced that it would disassociate itself from the opposition alliance’s no-confidence motion against the AJK PM and the subsequent process to elect a new premier, terming the move a “political game” aimed at undermining public representation.