Zardari, Shehbaz hold key meeting to discuss AJK, national politics

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held an important meeting at the President’s House on Thursday to discuss the country’s political situation and possible political change in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

According to sources, representatives from both the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were also present during the meeting.

Sources said that the meeting was attended by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Senator Sherry Rehman, and Syed Naveed Qamar, while Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi and Adviser to the Prime Minister Senator Rana Sanaullah were also present.

The two leaders held detailed consultations on key national and political matters, with discussions also focusing on the anticipated political shift in AJK.

The coalition leadership exchanged views on the country’s political landscape and future strategy.

Earlier reports suggested that the president and prime minister were expected to meet on Thursday evening to deliberate on the government formation in AJK.

It is pertinent to mention that amid the possibility of an in-house change in AJK, the PPP has finalised Chaudhry Yasin as its candidate for the slot of the AJK prime minister.

According to sources, the PPP’s central leadership approved Yasin’s name during a meeting chaired by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The session was also attended by the PPP’s AJK leadership.

Four names were reportedly discussed for the position — Chaudhry Yasin, Latif Akbar, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, and Sardar Yaqoob Khan — before Bilawal announced Yasin as the final nominee. The party is expected to formally announce his candidacy later tonight.

A few days earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari met with the government’s Kashmir Affairs Committee in Islamabad, which included senior leaders from the PPP, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and AJK. The meeting discussed the region’s political situation and the prospects of an in-house change.

Following the meeting, Federal Minister for Planning and senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal told the media that his party had decided not to join the AJK government. “We will sit in the opposition and support the PPP in the no-confidence motion,” he said.