- WEB DESK
- August 27, 2026
PML-N picks Iftikhar Gilani for AJK PM slot despite election defeat
-
- WEB DESK
- August 27, 2026
MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has nominated Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) prime minister slot, weeks after he lost his constituency in the region’s general election.
Gilani subsequently returned to the AJK Legislative Assembly on a reserved seat of the party.
The nomination was announced by PML-N Central Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb in a post on X.
Gillani had contested the LA-29 Muzaffarabad-III constituency in the recent AJK elections as a PML-N candidate but was defeated by Pakistan People’s Party candidate Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi.
On August 24, the PML-N bagged five while the PPP won two of the seven reserved seats that were up for grabs in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
For the seat reserved for technocrats and professionals, Gillani bagged 26 votes to claim the seat, beating PPP’s Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali by 14 votes, enabling him to re-enter the AJK Legislative Assembly only weeks after losing the general election.
His nomination for the top government office has therefore become politically significant, with some senior PML-N leaders reportedly expressing reservations over the decision.
Party reservations over nomination
Sources familiar with the development said that the decision to nominate Gillani made at a high-level PML-N meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday.
However, the decision has reportedly triggered discontent among some senior party figures from AJK who reportedly told the prime minister to chose a person from among those who won their constituencies in the general election.
Sources said that the controversy surrounding Gillani’s nomination was one of the reasons the AJK Assembly session scheduled for Thursday to elect the prime minister was postponed by a day.
A revised notice has now been issued, scheduling the session for Friday, August 28.
The development has fuelled speculation that differences within the PML-N over Gillani’s nomination could persist and potentially delay his election further.
Political observers say that if senior PML-N leaders, including former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider and AJK PML-N president Shah Ghulam Qadir, do not agree with the decision, Gillani’s election may face another delay.
Shah Ghulam Qadir, who had been considered one of the strongest contenders for the AJK premiership, is reportedly unhappy with Gillani’s nomination.
Although he did not directly refer to the nomination in his post on X, his remarks following the party meeting were widely seen as an indication of his reservations.
In the X post, Qadir reaffirmed his commitment to Nawaz Sharif’s slogan of “respect the vote” and said he would not compromise on the “honour and dignity” of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources claimed that several other senior AJK PML-N leaders also had expressed reservations about Gillani’s nomination.
The decision has also drawn criticism in some public circles, with opponents questioning the political logic of bringing an election loser into the assembly through a reserved seat and then nominating him for the region’s highest elected office.
They argue that losing a general election represents a rejection by voters in that constituency, making Gilani’s subsequent elevation through a reserved seat particularly controversial.
PML-N weighs regional balance
Meanwhile, sources familiar with the government formation process said consultations were also under way to ensure representation of all three AJK divisions in key constitutional offices.
The Mirpur division has already secured the speakership, while the prime minister is expected to come from the Muzaffarabad division.
The presidency is likely to go to the Poonch division, where elections have yet to be held because of the prevailing law and order situation.
The regional balance is considered an important factor in the distribution of key offices as the new AJK government takes shape.
Who is Iftikhar Gillani?
Gillani is a seasoned PML-N politician in AJK who has previously served as a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
He was elected to the assembly in 2011 and again in 2016. Following the 2016 elections, he was inducted into the AJK cabinet and served as education minister.
In the 2026 general election, Gillani contested LA-29 Muzaffarabad-III on a PML-N ticket but lost to PPP’s Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi.
His return to the assembly came through the technocrat reserved seat election on August 24. He secured 26 votes, defeating PPP’s Sahibzada Zulfiqar Ali, who received 12 votes.
Gillani has thus gone from losing a general-election constituency to securing a reserved seat and being nominated for the premiership within weeks.
The nomination, however, is not the final appointment. The AJK Legislative Assembly will elect the prime minister, with the session now scheduled for August 28.
