MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) regional secretary general and former senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq has expressed serious concern over the prolonged vacancy in the office of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) chief election commissioner (CEC), warning that it is crippling democratic institutions and could jeopardise the 2026 general elections.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Mr Farooq pointed out that the post had been lying vacant for more than seven months, leaving the Election Commission “functionally paralysed” and local bodies “defunct”.

He noted that under Article 50 of the AJK Interim Constitution, the appointment of a neutral and empowered CEC was obligatory for holding free, fair and timely polls.

“This is not merely an administrative delay — it is a dangerous political undercurrent,” he said.

Under the Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Interim Constitution, the CEC is appointed by the AJK president on the advice of the chairman of the AJK Council — i.e., the prime minister of Pakistan — based on nominees proposed by the AJK prime minister in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

The commission also includes a senior member and a member, both appointed solely on the advice of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister.

The commission has been without a chairman since January 14, a day after the completion of the five-year term of retired Justice Abdul Rashid Sulehria as CEC.

While the senior member position also remains vacant, retired secretary Syed Nazeerul Hassan Gillani was appointed as a member by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq on January 11.

On March 27, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a three-member committee headed by the federal law minister and comprising the federal Kashmir affairs secretary and AJK’s chief secretary to “review the legal scheme and the procedure of appointment of CEC under the provisions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution and any other ancillary aspects of the issue” and submit recommendations within seven days.

The move drew criticism from the AJK chapters of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), who argued that the AJK Constitution assigned no role to the federal law minister in the appointment process.

The committee reportedly held one meeting, in which the AJK chief secretary was directed to speak to the AJK premier about the matter.

However, since then, neither the committee nor the office of the AJK Council chairman (the prime minister of Pakistan) has made any progress, despite PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir and parliamentary leader Raja Farooq Haider publicly denouncing the delay as a “blatant constitutional violation” by the AJK premier.

Mr Farooq urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his capacity as AJK Council chairman, to immediately appoint a competent and impartial CEC, resolving any procedural obstacles stemming from the 13th Constitutional Amendment through transparent dialogue.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2025