PPP intensifies contacts with PML-N over Azad Kashmir power shift

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has intensified efforts for an in-house change in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly, party sources revealed.

According to insiders, the PPP leadership has decided to reach out to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to discuss the evolving political situation in AJK. The party also plans to seek assurances from the federal government regarding development funding for the region.

Sources said the PPP intends to request inclusion in the AJK cabinet, arguing that PML-N’s participation would help ensure the release of federal funds. However, PPP leaders reportedly remain concerned that they have not yet received a clear commitment from the federal government about funding for the remainder of the AJK government’s tenure.

Party insiders warned that without federal financial support, the Azad Kashmir government would struggle to deliver on its promises and development projects.

The move comes a day after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) announced its departure from the Azad Kashmir government.

President of the PML-N AJK, Shah Ghulam Qadir, said that if the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) brings a no-confidence motion, it is their democratic right.

Shah Ghulam Qadir categorically said that the PML-N would not become a part of any new government. The PML-N President warned that anyone who deviated from the party policy would face party action.

He said that they continued playing a positive role in the resolution of a constitutional and political crisis. A strong government in AJK can only be formed through a general election, he emphasized.

Earlier this month, the federal government’s high-level negotiation committee and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) signed a landmark agreement on Saturday in Muzaffarabad to resolve ongoing disputes and restore peace in the region.

The government delegation included Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Federal Ministers Sardar Muhammad Yusuf and Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Rana Sanaullah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and Amir Muqam.

From the AJK government, Minister for Education Diwan Ali Chughtai and Minister for Local Government Faisal Rathore took part. The JAAC was represented by Raja Amjad, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, and Anjum Zaman Awan.