MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and President Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, has nominated Barrister Iftikhar Gilani for the post of 17th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Nawaz Sharif has directed Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani to submit his nomination papers for the election of Prime Minister of AJK, party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement.
Barrister Iftikhar will be the PML-N candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir.
پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) کے صدر محمد نواز شریف نے بیرسٹر سید افتخار علی گیلانی کو آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے وزیراعظم کے منصب پر نامزد کیا ہے
پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) کے صدر محمد نواز شریف نے بیرسٹر سید افتخار علی گیلانی کو آزاد جموں و کشمیر کی وزارت عظمی کے عہدے پر انتخاب کے لئے کاغذات…— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) August 27, 2026
The decision to nominate Iftikhar Gilani as Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir was made with the approval of Nawaz Sharif, Aurangzeb said.
Gilani will submit his nomination papers on behalf of PML-N for the election of the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir.
An important consultative meeting regarding government formation in AJK, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was held last night at PM House in Islamabad.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Senator Rana Sanaullah, and senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique attended the meeting.
Among the participants of the meeting were PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, former AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider, newly elected Speaker AJK Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri, and Barrister Iftikhar Gilani.
During the meeting, the upcoming parliamentary strategy and government formation issues were discussed. The PML-N leadership also consulted on the formation of the new cabinet and government priorities.
Barrister Iftikhar Gilani was elected from the technocrat seat. He contested the 2026 election from LA-29 Muzaffarabad-III but failed to make it to the Assembly. PPP candidate Sardar Mukhtar won after securing 20,045 votes, while Gilani received 16,507 votes.
Moreover, the election for Prime Minister in the AJK Legislative Assembly was postponed and will be held on August 28.
The nomination papers for the election of the Prime Minister will now also be submitted on Friday. The Legislative Assembly session will begin at 2 pm, Secretary AJK Legislative Assembly Amjad Latif Abbasi said.
