Rana Sanaullah says his party will only support the no-confidence motion but will not be part of the new government
Coalition partners in the federal government, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party, have decided to table a no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Anwarul Haq.
The announcement was made by senior leaders of PML-N and PPP Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Raja Pervez Ashraf after a meeting held at the President House in Islamabad. They said both parties had reached a consensus that the AJK government had failed to deliver on its promises, making a change in leadership through a no-confidence motion “inevitable”.
Kaira revealed that although her party had invited the PML-N to join the government, the latter had declined the offer. However, the PML-N agreed to support the move to oust Anwarul Haq. Sanaullah said the PML-N would only join hands with the PPP to remove the AJK Prime Minister through a no-confidence motion, but would not be part of the new government.
Read also: PPP wins simple majority to form AJK government
The development follows a recent meeting between PPP women’s wing president Faryal Talpur and members of the PTI’s forward bloc in the AJK Legislative Assembly. Around 10 PTI members, who were also ministers in Anwarul Haq’s cabinet, met Talpur and announced their decision to join the PPP.
With the support of these 10 legislators, the PPP would have obtained a simple majority of 27 members in the 53-member assembly. Those who met Talpur included Chaudhry Rasheed, Yasir Sultan, Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Ikhlaq, Sardar Muhammad Hussain, Majid Khan, Asim Sharif Butt, Akbar Ibrahim and Faheem Rabbani.
To consolidate its position, Talpur organized a grand dinner at Sindh House in Islamabad, attended by PPP parliamentarians, representatives of refugee constituencies and members of the Barrister Sultan group.
Party members say the PPP now has the support of more than 30 assembly members, including five from the Barrister Sultan group and five from the refugee seats, while the support of two members remains confidential.
Although the PPP had already secured a majority, it was initially hesitant to present the motion independently. Subsequently, the party contacted the PML-N, which initially showed reluctance but later agreed to support the action against the AJK Prime Minister.
Earlier, rumors about the removal of Prime Minister Anwarul Haq surfaced amid political unrest in AJK. However, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry dismissed the reports, saying there was no truth in the allegations of resignation or dismissal of the AJK Prime Minister. He clarified that no such decision or discussion was planned at the federal level.
