MUZAFFARBAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Azad Kashmir on Thursday demanded early elections in the region, citing a deepening constitutional crisis.
Addressing a press conference today at the Central Press House in Muzaffarabad, former Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, Raja Farooq Haider Khan, has said that the current government is unconstitutional at the legal and administrative levels.
“The government of Pakistan should establish a fact-finding commission to review the situation in the state and hold general elections in Azad Kashmir by the end of October 2025,” he said.
Senior PML-N leader insisted that all constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, should be completed immediately. Currently, the Election Commission has only one member, rendering it ineffective, he added.
Raja Farooq Haider highlighted that the Azad Kashmir Assembly has not been functioning according to constitutional requirements as the important committees have not been formed, and the assembly has not met for the required 60 days in a year.
Moreover, he stated that the government has made decisions contrary to the rules of the assembly and the constitution, including unconstitutional approval of the supplementary budget.
“Bi-circulation cabinet meetings are being held without justification, which is against the constitution,” he added.
Criticizing the government’s performance, Farooq Haider stated that the opposition has been deliberately eliminated, and the government does not believe in the consultative process.
“The government is creating a crisis and wants to survive in it, leading to severe anxiety among workers of all political parties,” he said. “There is no accountability process, and the government’s decisions are not transparent.”
PML-N leaders urged the government to take immediate action to address the constitutional crisis and ensure free and fair elections. They emphasized that the current situation is unsustainable and that early elections are necessary to restore stability and democracy in Azad Kashmir.
Former senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, former government ministers Mustafa Bashir Abbasi, Iftikhar Gilani, Noreen Arif, Murtaza Gilani, former member of Kashmir Council Engineer Rafaqat Hussain Awan, and other PML-N leaders were also present.
