MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq on Friday said that while the first two months of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rule in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) had eased political stagnation and restored a degree of normalcy, the government lacked a clear roadmap for reforms, governance improvement and development.

Talking to senior journalists, he maintained that beyond party worker adjustments and frequent administrative transfers, the government had yet to present any concrete agenda for institutional reforms, good governance, or development.

“Although the political environment has improved and decision-making pressures have eased, the available space has not been effectively utilised due to unclear priorities, resulting in non-seriousness in governance,” claimed Mr Farooq, a former senior minister in the previous PML-N government in AJK.

Stressing the need for effective strategies to introduce reforms that could lead to tangible improvements in governance and development, he maintained that a “visible lack of teamwork and internal discord within the ruling party was affecting decision-making.”

“While the perception of ‘governments within the government’ has declined, the impression of an MLA-centric administration persists, undermining efforts by Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore to project a state-wide outlook,” he said.

Referring to the agreement with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the PML-N leader said that serious and fast-tracked implementation could yield positive results, but issues such as the establishment of commissions, a constitutional committee, and the appointment of the chief election commissioner remained unresolved.

He also pointed to what he claimed was a trust deficit between the government and the bureaucracy, saying that although the atmosphere of fear associated with the previous Chaudhry Anwarul Haq-led tenure should have ended, the current administration had yet to convincingly project change.

Regarding the PML-N role as an opposition party, he vowed that it would criticise shortcomings and push for corrective measures.

Mr Farooq said the health card was a gift from PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the people of AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad, adding that the Rs40 billion allocation for the scheme reflected the federal government’s commitment and that transparent implementation was now the AJK government’s responsibility.

He criticised the practice of announcing multiple sectoral packages without reliable data, particularly in power, education, and health, and said that retaining funds and delaying decisions, as seen in the previous tenure, pointed to weak teamwork. He alleged that encroachments on state land, including in Bhimber, continued, and that claims of austerity needed to be translated into concrete action.

Referring to a perception in some quarters that the government was deliberately prolonging matters to create grounds for delaying elections, he said no ambiguity or delaying tactic could prevent polls, which would be held in July “under all circumstances”.

He asserted that PML-N was fully prepared for the polls, with applications for party tickets already received and efforts under way to finalise nominations in the first week of February.

Disputes in constituencies with multiple aspirants, he said, were being addressed through the party’s political committee. He added that the party would soon launch its election campaign across AJK through workers’ conventions.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026