PML-N takes command as AJK Assembly sworn in

Forty-six newly elected members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were sworn in on Monday, formally marking the beginning of the new parliamentary term following the recently concluded general elections.

Speaker Latif Akbar administered the oath to the new lawmakers at the inaugural session of the assembly. The oath-taking ceremony reflected the changed political balance in the 53-member legislature, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerging as the dominant parliamentary force.

Of those sworn in on Monday, 31 lawmakers belonged to the PML-N, along with one member of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu. Fourteen members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also took oath, according to the election results.

The inaugural session of the new assembly began amid heightened political interest as lawmakers took their seats in the house and formally assumed their constitutional responsibilities. The oath-taking paves the way for the election of the new speaker and deputy speaker and, subsequently, the new prime minister.

The AJK elections were held in three phases between July 27 and August 10, 2026. Of the 45 directly contested constituencies polling was held on 38 with the PML-N securing 25 seats and the PPP winning 12. The lone MLA of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party joined hands with the PML-N.

The PML-N increased its strength in the house after securing six of the eight reserved seats. The party won three women's reserved seats as well as the seats reserved for Ulema and Mashaikh, overseas Kashmiris and a technocrat. The PPP secured the remaining two women's reserved seats.

The PML-N's successful candidates were Maryam Zaman Kashmiri, Maryam Idris and Sehrish Qamar on the women's seats; Abdul Rehman Arain on the overseas Kashmiris' seat; Iftikhar Gilani on the technocrat seat; and Maulana Mazhar Saeed on the Ulema and Mashaikh seat.

The women's reserved-seat results witnessed a dramatic finish when PML-N candidate Riffat Abid and PPP candidate Zubia Khursheed secured five votes each. The tie was decided through a draw, with PPP candidate Zubia Khursheed declared successful. The other PPP winner was Farzana Yaqoob.

Monday's session marked the beginning of the PML-N-led dispensation in AJK. The party is now expected to move swiftly towards completing the remaining parliamentary formalities, including the election of the prime minister and formation of the new cabinet.

PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir is tipped as a strong contender for the post of prime minister. In a message, he congratulated all newly elected PML-N MLAs on securing reserved seats, saying the trust reposed in them by the party was a big test.

Qadir asked the newly elected lawmakers to work for good governance and the development of AJK in accordance with the vision and guidelines of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.