Faisal Mumtaz Rathore elected 16th Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir 

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Monday passed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, paving the way for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faisal Mumtaz Rathore to be elected as the 16th Prime Minister of AJK.

Rathore secured 36 votes in the 52-member House, while only two votes were cast against the motion. Nine members remained absent during the session.

The session was chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Latif. Before the voting, outgoing Prime Minister Anwarul Haq delivered a lengthy speech, defending his tenure and responding to the allegations tied to the no-confidence move. He walked out of the assembly along with five colleagues after the vote.

Rathore’s election and political background

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, born April 11, 1978, in Rawalpindi, belongs to one of Azad Kashmir’s oldest political families and is the son of former AJK Prime Minister Mumtaz Hussain Rathore. His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, was also a member of the Legislative Assembly and served as the PPP Women’s Wing President. The Rathore family is considered among the founding pillars of the PPP in Azad Kashmir.

Rathore received his early education in Rawalpindi and later graduated from Punjab University. His father held several key political positions, including Senior Minister after the 1975 elections, Prime Minister in 1990, Leader of the Opposition in 1991, and Speaker of the Assembly in 1996. After his father’s death, Rathore’s elder brother Masood Mumtaz Rathore was elected to the assembly in 1999.

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore first contested elections in 2006 from LA-17 Haveli Kahuta. He was elected MLA for the first time in 2011 on a PPP ticket and later served as Minister for Education and Minister for Electricity in the cabinet of Chaudhry Abdul Majeed. He was arrested in a political case in 2016 but was later exonerated.

Rathore became Secretary General of PPP AJK on March 23, 2017, a position he still holds. He was re-elected MLA in the 2021 elections, playing a vocal and assertive role in the opposition. In 2023, he joined the coalition government of Chaudhry Anwarul Haq as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, and also led negotiations with the Public Action Committee.

Known for his calm temperament and non-controversial political style, Rathore enjoys respect across political and military circles as well as among civil society groups. He has also appeared frequently on national media, hosting programmes for Bol TV. Within the PPP, he is considered a close confidant of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur and is widely viewed as representing the ideological and middle-class wing of the party.

Ahead of the no-confidence session, Rathore resigned from his ministerial post, stating that he wished to contest the prime ministerial slot with full transparency. He said he would continue his duties as an MLA regardless of the result.

Anwarul Haq’s defiant farewell speech

In his address before the vote, Prime Minister Anwarul Haq questioned why he alone was being blamed for the deterioration in governance.

“Is it possible that only one person is responsible for the destruction of the constitution and administrative structure? Are my cabinet members not responsible?” he asked, emphasising that he wanted his remarks “to remain on record.”

He said the House had once urged him to dissolve the assembly by February 15, adding that if he had agreed, someone could have removed him forcefully. “I thank my cabinet who signed my freedom certificate,” he said with a smile.

Anwarul Haq claimed he was advised to travel in an armoured vehicle amid protests but chose not to, saying he was a political worker who preferred being among his people. He warned that had violence erupted during the Action Committee movement, he would have faced severe consequences.

He recounted how he challenged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the assembly’s floor, saying his criticism was misrepresented as an attack on India itself. “This political system will survive only when our borders are secure,” he said, stressing that Pakistan’s armed forces were the “guarantee of our existence.”

Anwarul Haq said his views were labelled as “ideological distortions” in the no-confidence motion, but insisted he had received full cooperation from the bureaucracy and support from journalists, lawyers, and civil society. He added that he held no personal grudges and even expressed support for Rathore’s candidacy.

“If Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was elected, I would have voted for him,” he said. “My best wishes are with him.”

After the speech, he left the House accompanied by five assembly members.

Reactions from former prime ministers

Former AJK Prime Minister Farooq Haider, speaking in the assembly, blamed national political leadership for the situation, saying, “Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif are responsible for the marriage that took place today.”

Former PM Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi sharply criticised governance failures, saying local government representatives had been left stranded for two and a half years, while ministers had been “helpless.” He said members were unaware of political manoeuvres, adding, “We voted but were cheated.”

Latif Akbar remarked that although PML-N members voted for Rathore, they would continue to sit in opposition.

Reporter: Hashir Warraich