ISLAMABAD: The PML-N has decided to mobilise party workers and begin preparations for the forthcoming AJK elections scheduled for July 2026, as well as to push for the appointment of the chief election commissioner of AJK.

Following the appointment of the new leader of the opposition, the Political Committee established by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif regarding Azad Kashmir convened its meeting here on Tuesday at the Parliament House.

The main focus of the meeting was to discuss the legal prerequisites for the general elections in AJK, including the appointment of a permanent chief election commissioner (CEC) for AJK, as Abdul Rasheed Sulehria retired as chief election commissioner in January 2025 after completing his five-year term.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah Khan and the Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Engineer Amir Muqam, congratulated the Leader of the Opposition and President of PML-N Azad Kashmir, Shah Ghulam Qadir.

The discussions covered the political situation following the removal of former PM of AJK, Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, and the election of Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the PPP as AJK’s premier.

The meeting also noted that the former PM of AJK, as well as the previous leader of the opposition in the AJK legislative assembly, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), had been delaying the appointment of a regular CEC for nearly a year.

Rana Sanaullah instructed Shah Ghulam Qadir, who had recently become the Leader of the Opposition in the AJK Legislative Assembly, to discuss the CEC issue with Mr Rathore, the PM of AJK.

According to the rules, the PM invites the leader of the opposition to propose names for the CEC, and if consensus is reached between the leader of the house and the opposition, the unified name is forwarded to the Chairman Kashmir Council, who is also the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

However, if the leaders fail to agree on a candidate, two or three nominees are submitted to the Chairman Kashmir Council for the final decision.

The meeting was attended by former Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Senior Vice President Mushtaq Minhas, Secretary Information Barrister Iftikhar Gilani, and Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain.

It was also decided that the PML-N AJK will recommend suitable candidates to the committee shortly for finalisation.

The meeting reaffirmed that the AJK elections will be held on schedule, and emphasised that the PML-N has always endeavoured to serve the welfare of the people and remains committed to supporting Kashmiris in the future.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2025