Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, the nominee of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was elected as the speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, securing 32 votes. Alongside him, Ahmed Raza Qadri, also from PML-N, was elected deputy speaker with the same number of votes.
This election represents a significant milestone in finalizing the formation of the new AJK government following the recent general elections. Farooq triumphed over Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Qasim Majeed, who received 13 votes, becoming the 16th speaker of the assembly. Meanwhile, Qadri was appointed as the 15th deputy speaker.
Notably, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif had put forward Farooq’s name for the speaker position. Farooq had won his seat from Bhimber in the recent AJK general election, defeating former AJK prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.
The assembly’s current election process is taking place without seven members, as elections in the Poonch and Sudhanoti areas are still pending. The AJK Legislative Assembly consists of 53 seats in total, which include 45 directly elected seats and eight reserved seats. Of the 45 general seats, 33 represent constituencies within AJK, while 12 are allocated for Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan.
The eight reserved seats are distributed as follows: five for women; one each for technocrats and other professionals, religious scholars and spiritual leaders, and overseas Kashmiris. In the latest assembly, PML-N emerged as the largest party with 31 seats, followed by the PPP holding 14 seats.
Earlier, the election schedule for the speaker and deputy speaker posts was announced, and candidates submitted their nomination papers on Monday morning. Notably, both PML-N and PPP altered their deputy speaker nominees shortly before the nominations were filed. The PPP chose Qasim Majeed for speaker and Aamir Ghafar Loon for deputy speaker, while PML-N nominated Ahmed Raza Qadri for the deputy speaker role.
With the successful election of the speaker and deputy speaker, a crucial phase in constituting the new AJK Legislative Assembly has been completed, paving the way for the government’s next steps.
