Muzaffarabad: The Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly is set to vote today on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq.
The Lawmakers from the PPP, PML-N, PTI Forward Bloc, and other members of the assembly have started arriving in Muzaffarabad, with tight security arrangements in place across the city.
The session on the no-confidence motion has been scheduled for 3:00 PM by Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar under Article 27 of the Azad Kashmir Constitution.
The PPP claims that support for the no-confidence motion has risen from 36 to 38 members, with two additional PTI Forward Bloc members joining the motion.
Meanwhile, PML-N has announced that it will vote against the Prime Minister but will not join the government. Signatures from PML-N leaders, including President Shah Ghulam Qadir and Raja Farooq Haider, are on the motion, although the party continues to demand early elections.
Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq has chosen to face the motion rather than resign. A simple majority of 27 votes is required for the motion to pass. If successful, Anwar-ul-Haq, who was elected with 48 votes in April 2023, will be removed from office.
In the event of the motion’s success, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore will become the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir and the fourth Prime Minister of the current assembly. The new PM is expected to take the oath on Tuesday, with central leadership of the PPP likely to attend the ceremony.
Challenges for the New Government
The incoming government faces two major political challenges. First, implementing agreements from the Action Committee could prove difficult. Second, PML-N’s ongoing demand for early elections may test the new administration. Additionally, limiting the cabinet to 20 ministers is expected to be a significant challenge for governance.
