ISLAMABAD; The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday announced its plan to bring an in-house change in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, signalling the formation of a new government to replace the incumbent Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.
According to party sources, President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the proposal to move a no-confidence motion against the current AJK premier. The decision came after back-to-back meetings chaired separately by President Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad.
Sources said that Zardari will finalize the party’s nominee for the new AJK prime minister in consultation with the party leadership. Names under consideration reportedly include Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin and Chaudhry Latif Akbar. Bilawal is expected to formally announce the government formation plan and the new nominee on Monday.
PPP AJK leader Chaudhry Yasin confirmed that the party had made a “final decision” to establish its own government. He said all parliamentary party members participated in detailed discussions, and that the final decision on the premiership would be announced by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
During the meetings, the party leadership expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the current AJK government and agreed on an alternative political setup. Senior PPP figures, including Faryal Talpur, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Javed Ayub, and several others attended the sessions.
Speaking to journalists outside Zardari House, Qamar Zaman Kaira said the situation in AJK was concerning for all parties, adding that while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was reportedly moving to the opposition benches, no official communication had been received yet.
He maintained that the PPP had secured the required numbers in the AJK Legislative Assembly to pass the no-confidence motion if the incumbent refused to resign. “Governments are formed only when the numbers are in place, and we have them,” Kaira added.
The PPP leadership is expected to finalize its strategy in another meeting chaired by President Zardari before Bilawal’s official announcement on Monday.
