AJK Prime Minister in trouble as 25 PTI MLAs rebelled against him

AJK legislative assembly will decide the fate of AJP PM Sardar Abdul Qayum Niazi on April 15 through a vote on no-confidence motion

AJK prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayum Niazi seems in big trouble as 25 PTI MLAs led by Sardar Tanvir Ilyas has tabled a no-confidence motion against him. They have submitted the no-confidence motion in assembly secretariat. The session of the Legislative Assembly has been called on April 15 to vote on the no-confidence. This political development came as a big surprise for many. The support of 27 members of legislative assembly needed to oust the PM Niazi.

It seems that PM Abdul Qayum has lost the majority in the assembly. He was handpicked by former PM Pakistan Imran Khan who lost power in Pakistan two days ago. It is not yet clear whether the no-confidence motion has the support of  Chairman imran khan or not. 

The motion was filed under Article 18 of the AJK's interim Constitution and has the signatures of 25 members of the legislative assembly.

 According to media reports, billionaire business tycoon Sardar Tanveer Ilyas has been nominated as the new leader of the House.

The move comes after the former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted from the government on April 9. Niazi, 61, was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly on July 25, 2021, elections from Poonch district, which lies on the Line of Control (LoC).

His nomination superseded several top party leaders and strong candidates for the coveted post, particularly PTI Kashmir president and former premier Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, and billionaire Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.

                                                                Khalid Bhatti