AJK minister Faisal Rathore resigns; No-Confidence Vote against PM Anwarul Haq today

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Local Government and Rural Development Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has resigned from his ministerial position, submitting his resignation to Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has nominated Faisal Rathore as its candidate for Prime Minister.

A no-confidence motion against PM Anwarul Haq will be presented in the Azad Kashmir Assembly today at 3 PM. If the motion succeeds, Rathore is set to become the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir and the fourth under the current assembly.

The PPP claims to have secured support of more than 35 votes for Rathore’s prime ministership. Sources indicate that a simple majority of 27 votes is required for the no-confidence motion to pass.

The assembly will convene in Muzaffarabad this afternoon to hold the crucial vote, which could mark a significant political shift in Azad Kashmir’s leadership.

WHO IS FAISAL RATHORE?

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was born on April 11, 1978 in Rawalpindi. He is a prominent political leader from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and a senior figure in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He belongs to one of the most influential political families in AJK.

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore is the son of Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, a major political figure who served as Senior Minister in 1975, Prime Minister of AJK in 1990, Leader of the Opposition in 1991, and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 1996.

On March 23, 2017 he was elected as the Secretary General of PPP AJK, and he still holds that position. He was re-elected MLA in 2021, and played an active role in the opposition. In 2023, he was appointed as the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in the coalition government of Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.

He has also served as head of the PPP negotiation committee with the Awami Action Committee.