Pakistan-administered Kashmir gets new premier

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Faisal Mumtaz Rathore of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Monday was elected as the new prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, according to state-run Pakistan Television.

Rathore, 47, became the region's 16th premier since 1975 after 36 lawmakers successfully passed a no-confidence motion in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly against Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who was elected in April 2023.

The regional legislative assembly has 53 members, of whom 14 abstained while two voted against the motion.

One vote belongs to Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who declared Rathore the next premier.

To remove the premier, at least 27 lawmakers had to vote in favor.

Rathore was born in 1978 and is the son of Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, Azad Jammu and Kashmir's former prime minister.

Rathore is the fourth prime minister elected by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in four years, following outgoing Haq, Abdul Qayyum Khan, and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan.

The region's next elections are due next year.