AJK assembly elects PML-N's Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani as the new prime minister

AJK assembly elects PML-N's Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani as the new prime minister.

Key points

• Tariq Naqash Published August 28, 2026 Updated August 28, 2026 03: 42pm.
• After securing 30 of the 44 votes polled, MUZAFFARABAD: PML-N's Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani was elected as Azad Jammu and Kashmir's prime minister on Friday.
• While the PPP has 14 lawmakers in the AJK Assembly, the PML-N at present has a strength of 32, including its allies.
• So far, in the direct elections to 38 constituencies, the PML-N has secured 25 seats while the PPP won 12.
• Nevertheless, the AJK Election Commission unveiled that polling would only go ahead as scheduled in Bagh and Haveli since of worries over the law and order situation.

Tariq Naqash Published August 28, 2026 Updated August 28, 2026 03: 42pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

He beat PPP's Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi. This person secured 14 votes in the contest for the top office.

For context, the AJK Assembly comprises 53 members, but its present strength is 46 since elections to seven seats in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts have yet to be held.

Notably, the elections in the region, originally scheduled for July 27, were divided into phases over security reservations against the backdrop of unrest in the region. The first phase was held on July 27, the second on Aug 2 and the third on Aug 10.

Meanwhile, the third phase was originally meant to cover all of Poonch Division. It comprises 11 constituencies, including three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district.

So far, in the direct elections to 38 constituencies, the PML-N has secured 25 seats while the PPP won 12. The lone MLA-elect of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party has additionally joined hands with the PML-N.

As for the reserved seats, the PML-N has bagged six and the PPP two. The PPP has alleged widespread rigging and irregularities in the elections.

Tariq Naqash is a Muzaffarabad-based senior staff correspondent for Dawn with almost three decades of experience in reporting, analysis, and feature writing. His work focuses on politics, conflict, and governance. He can be discovered on X at @tariqnaqash.

For now, AJK assembly elects PML-N' s Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani as the new prime remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.