MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday submitted disqualification references against four of its former lawmakers to the Legislative Assembly speaker for allegedly defecting to rival parties in violation of constitutional provisions.

The references were handed over to Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar in his chamber by PTI’s regional senior vice president Mian Mohammad Shafique Jhagwi and secretary general Mir Attiqur Rehman on behalf of regional president and parliamentary leader Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi.

They were accompanied by party lawyers Khawaja Ansar Shabbir, Sardar Moteeb, Yasir Mughal, Waheed Awan, PTI district president Syed Azhar Gillani and several other leaders.

The lawmakers named in the references are Chaudhry Akmal Sargala (LA-37, Jammu-IV), Javed Butt (LA-43, Kashmir Valley-IV), Ali Shan Soni (LA-6, Bhimber-II), and Chaudhry Rafique Nayyar (technocrat seat). All four had been elected on PTI tickets in the July 2021 general elections.

Of them, Mr Sargala and Mr Butt had joined the so-called “forward bloc” led by incumbent Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq following PTI’s internal turmoil in 2023 after the disqualification of then-premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas. Both were later inducted into Mr Haq’s cabinet as ministers for forests and transport, respectively.

Mr Nayyar had remained with the PTI and continued to sit on the opposition benches, while Mr Soni neither joined the forward bloc nor stayed loyal to PTI. Instead, he aligned himself with Mr Ilyas after the latter joined the newly launched Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP).

On Friday, Mr Sargala formally joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at a ceremony in Islamabad, where he was welcomed by the party’s regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir. Interestingly, Mr Sargala had already been awarded a PML-N ticket for a provincial assembly seat in Punjab during the February 2024 general elections, though he was unsuccessful. Despite this, he continued to be part of the forward bloc in the AJK Assembly without officially announcing his switch—until now.

Earlier, on June 30, Mr Nayyar and Mr Butt had announced their decision to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) during a meeting with PPP Women’s Wing President Faryal Talpur at Zardari House in Karachi.

A week before that, Mr Soni had made a similar announcement alongside Mr Ilyas and his cousin Ahmad Sagheer, who serves as an adviser to the AJK premier. The announcement was also made in Karachi in a meeting with Ms Talpur.

Interestingly, Mr Sagheer’s mother, Shahida Sagheer, is a directly elected MLA on a PTI ticket but has largely remained absent from official meetings, including Assembly sessions, and has avoided media appearances. Her son’s advisory role in the Haq-led cabinet was seen as a sign that she, too, was part of the PTI’s forward bloc. However, the PTI leadership has not yet issued any notice against her.

Mr Niazi urged the Speaker to forward the references to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for formal adjudication. Upon confirmation of their disqualification, he said, the lawmakers should be de-seated and their seats declared vacant in accordance with the law.

He further requested that the lawmakers be barred from attending Assembly sessions or participating in legislative business until the CEC gives a decision on the matter.

Notably, the office of the CEC in AJK has been lying vacant since the term of the last incumbent, retired Justice Abdul Rashid Sulehria, expired on January 13 this year.

There was no immediate response from the Speaker’s office or from the lawmakers named in the references.

‘Forward bloc’ reaffirms unity

As many as 17 dissident lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), identifying themselves as the “forward bloc,” held a meeting at Kashmir House in Islamabad on Monday to reaffirm their unity and pledge to devise a joint strategy for the upcoming elections.

The meeting, chaired by AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood, came against the backdrop of intensified political manoeuvring by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to woo PTI dissidents ahead of next year’s polls.

In the 2021 AJK elections, PTI had secured 32 seats—both directly and indirectly—followed by PPP with 12, PML-N with 7, and one seat each going to the Jammu Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP) and the Muslim Conference (MC).

However, in April 2023, following the disqualification of then-prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, 23 PTI lawmakers broke away to form the so called ‘forward bloc,’ while seven remained loyal to the party and one distanced himself from both sides.

Since then, changes in allegiance have shifted the Assembly’s composition. One of the seven loyal PTI lawmakers lost his seat to a PML-N rival following a recount, increasing the PML-N tally to eight. The seat vacated by Mr Ilyas went to the PPP, raising its strength to 13.

Recently, one PTI legislator and three members of the forward bloc joined the PPP, pushing its total to 17. One forward bloc member has joined the PML-N, bringing its strength to nine.

The forward bloc, led by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, is now left with 20 members, 17 of whom, including Mr Haq, attended Monday’s meeting in person, according to a joint press release issued by the Press Information Department and the President’s House.

Two members participated via Zoom—one from Muzaffarabad and the other from London—while one was absent due to a scheduled appearance before a tribunal, the press release said.

During the meeting, participants expressed “complete and unwavering confidence” in the leadership of President Mahmood and Prime Minister Haq.

“The meeting reaffirmed that the Forward Bloc’s parliamentary party remains united and also decided to formulate a joint strategy and coordinated plan of action for the upcoming elections,” the press release added.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025