10 legislators join PPP, significantly increasing likelihood of the party installing its premier in AJK
Category: Pakistan | By: Ayyaz | 2025-10-27 03:08:09
✅ Ten PTI legislators in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) switch loyalty to PPP.
✅ PPP now becomes the largest party with 27 seats in the 53-member assembly.
✅ Move paves the way for PPP to form the next government.
✅ PM Anwarul Haq faces likely ouster as opposition consolidates.
✅ President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif remain in close coordination
With political realignments intensifying in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), a major shift occurred on Sunday when ten lawmakers originally elected on PTI tickets during the July 2021 elections announced their decision to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The development has significantly strengthened the PPP’s position as it eyes the premier’s seat in the region.
The announcement came after PPP leaders from AJK met with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad to discuss strategies for the removal of Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. With the new additions, PPP has become the single largest party in the 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly, holding 27 seats, followed by PML-N with nine, PTI with five, and two regional parties with one seat each.
Speaking to reporters, PPP MNA Chaudhry Qasim Majeed confirmed that the party is now in a “comfortable position” to replace the incumbent prime minister. He revealed that ten PTI legislators met Faryal Talpur at the Zardari House in Islamabad to formalize their entry into PPP.
Among the defectors were Yasir Sultan (son of AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood), Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Akhlaque, Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed, and Sardar Muhammad Hussain — all part of President Sultan’s political camp. In addition, Zafar Iqbal Malik from Kotli, Abdul Majid Khan, Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim, Asim Sharif Butt, and Sardar Faheem Rabbani also joined the PPP ranks.
Although all ten served in Haq’s cabinet, only the three refugee constituency representatives had earlier tendered their resignations — yet no official notifications had been issued. Sources added that Sabiha Siddique, another close ally of President Sultan, held reservations and had not yet joined.
Interestingly, PPP regional president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin was absent from the Islamabad meetings. According to Majeed, the PPP parliamentary group held back-to-back meetings with Bilawal and President Zardari to finalize their strategy, and further defections are expected in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the PML-N leadership announced it will sit in opposition rather than participate in a coalition government. “We will not be part of the government formation process,” said Shah Ghulam Qadir, the party’s regional head.
Majeed further confirmed that Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are maintaining direct communication over the ongoing political reshuffle in AJK. However, he refrained from revealing the PPP’s nominee for the prime minister’s post, stating that the decision rests with the party’s top leadership.
On the other hand, Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq, AJK’s Works and Communications Minister and a close ally of PM Haq, dismissed rumors of assembly dissolution. “The prime minister has no such plans,” he stated. “If the opposition has the numbers, they can table a no-confidence motion — we are ready to face it.”
As the PPP members prepared to gather at Sindh House in Islamabad on Sunday night, political observers believe the balance of power in AJK has decisively shifted in the PPP’s favor, setting the stage for a possible leadership change in the coming days.
