ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has nominated PML-N AJK President, Shah Ghulam Qadir, for the post of Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the sources, the decision was taken during an important consultative meeting chaired by Nawaz Sharif. The meeting decided to nominate Shah Ghulam Qadir as the head of the AJK government.
Qadir will be PML-N’s candidate for the election of the 17th Leader of the House, which will be held in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, August 27.
According to the schedule issued by the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat, the polling for the AJK Prime Minister will be held at 12:30 PM.
The elected Prime Minister will then take the oath on the same day at 5 pm at the High Court Ground in Muzaffarabad.
Shah Ghulam Qadir won the polls with 19,201 votes, defeating PPP candidate Mian Abdul Waheed, who secured 13,836 votes, in LA-25 Neelum Valley-I constituency.
Shah Ghulam Qadir’s political journey
He is one of the senior and seasoned parliamentary leaders who has held important responsibilities in the Legislative Assembly and the government for a long time.
With a political journey spanning over three decades, Shah Ghulam Qadir has served as the Speaker twice, in 2006 and 2016, during his seven-time Legislative Assembly membership.
During his parliamentary journey, Shah Ghulam Qadir held the portfolios of various important ministries, including the Minister of Finance, Minister of Planning and Development, Minister of Food, and Minister of Information.
Shah Ghulam Qadir started his political career from the platform of the Muslim Conference. Later, he left MC and was among the pioneer leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Azad Kashmir.
Qadir’s political activities were not limited to the internal politics of AJK, but he also played his role in highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international level.
He has been active in highlighting the position of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination at the United Nations General Assembly, Human Rights Council, and other international forums, as well as representing Kashmiri refugees and the Kashmir cause.
