• In absence of AJK president, Speaker Latif Akbar administers oath to Raja Faisal Rathore
• Maiden speech features gratitude, six-month goals
• Bilawal says state govt won’t be run from behind closed doors
• Shehbaz Sharif congratulates new AJK PM

MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) regional secretary general Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was sworn in as the 16th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) since the inception of the parliamentary form of government in the region at a largely attended ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr on Tuesday.

The oath was administered by Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, as President Barrister Sultan Mahmood could not travel to Muzaffarabad from Islamabad due to serious illness.

The oath-taking ceremony witnessed chaotic scenes before its commencement, as hundreds of PPP workers thronged the President’s House to watch the installation. Big screens were placed in the lawns for party workers who were eventually allowed inside the premises.

Among the attendees were PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, MNA Faryal Talpur, Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Syed Mehdi Shah, AJK lawmakers, senior civil servants, political activists and party supporters.

Earlier, due to Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s participation, security outside the Presidency was taken over by Sindh police contingents, who stopped and reportedly slighted several media persons and local dignitaries, including a former prime minister, a member of the AJK Council and some sitting MLAs.

The ceremony, originally scheduled for 11am, began around 12:30pm after Mr Bhutto-Zardari arrived by helicopter from Islamabad.

Every day is equal to six months

Speaking after taking the oath, the newly sworn-in premier said he wholeheartedly thanked Allah. “In these extremely difficult times, fulfilling this responsibility is not easy, but Allah burdens a person only as much as he can bear,” he said.

Mr Rathore vowed to honour the trust reposed in him by PPP Chairman Bhutto-Zardari through good governance and complete transparency.

He recalled his family’s political legacy, noting that in 1975, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave his father, Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, a senior ministry. In 1990, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto entrusted him with the premiership. “And today, in 2025, I have been elected prime minister,” he said, while thanking President Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur who he described as “motherly and compassionate” for reposing confidence in him.

He said the previous government had taken six months to form a cabinet, whereas his government had “a total of six months — and every single day of ours will be equal to six months”. Education, health and justice must be delivered to the common man, he stressed.

He thanked PM Shehbaz for deciding to support the PPP in AJK. “We will hold open courts, go to the grassroots and ensure public service. We will restore the dignity and self-respect of the people,” he said.

‘Visit every nook and corner’

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the party’s bond with the people of Kashmir spanned three generations and could not be undermined “by any conspiracy”. He directed Mr Rathore to visit “every nook and corner” of the region and hold public meetings in the spirit of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, adding that the premier must engage directly with citizens to address their grievances.

“These six months are a test. After this test, we will again obtain the people’s mandate and lead the government… We will not run the AJK government from behind closed doors; we will work among the people and resolve their problems,” he said.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz called Mr Rathore to congratulate him on his election. He said the prosperity and progress of AJK were among the federal government’s top priorities.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2025