MUZAFFARABAD: Even as efforts to unseat Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq remain stalled over the choice of his successor, the same ministers leading the revolt continue to serve under him — a paradox that has turned Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) into a spectacle of irony and political confusion.
The PPP and PML-N, in separate meetings, had earlier decided to part ways with the coalition government and sought approval from their respective leaderships to withdraw ahead of the upcoming general elections.
After several rounds of deliberations and shifting positions, the PML-N eventually announced it would support the PPP in forming its own government but would not accept any share in the new set-up.
Meanwhile, a series of meetings of PPP legislators and senior leaders were held in Karachi and Islamabad to chalk out a strategy.
PPP law minister defends use of official perks, says they can be availed until vote of confidence
During one such meeting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari categorically declared that his party would oust the incumbent AJK premier and replace him with a loyalist from within the party.
Under Article 18 of the AJK Constitution, a resolution for a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister must be moved by at least 14 members — constituting 25 per cent of the total strength of the assembly — and must include the name of the proposed successor.
Subsequently, at least 10 members from the so-called ‘forward bloc’ of PTI dissidents also announced their support for the PPP’s planned move, enabling the party to meet the minimum requirement of 27 votes needed to topple the government.
Nevertheless, the PPP leadership remained insistent on securing PML-N’s backing to ensure a comfortable and unchallenged majority. Following the understanding between the two parties, a draft of the no-confidence motion against Mr Haq was prepared and signed by over 14 legislators, including two from the PML-N.
Yet, nearly three weeks later, the PPP has failed to finalise the name of its candidate for the premiership, leaving the move hanging in the balance.
‘Forward bloc’ irony
Ironically, despite publicly announcing their intent to unseat the prime minister, none of the PPP or PML-N ministers have resigned from their positions or relinquished official privileges.
One cabinet member from the PML-N, who was seen accompanying his party’s senior anti-Haq leadership at one meeting, also chaired a meeting himself and released pictures from it to the media.
Of the 10 ‘forward bloc’ members, three — representing Pakistan-based refugee constituencies — had announced their resignations from the cabinet, but the same had not been accepted by the prime minister. Despite their declared dissociation, the trio also continued to enjoy official perks and privileges.
Adding to the irony, most of the ‘disgruntled’ ministers have been camped in the federal capital for weeks, engaging in slow-paced negotiations and power-sharing discussions over the formation of the next government.
Political sources claim that the tabling of the motion may take another four to five days, effectively giving more time to an embattled prime minister who has virtually lost the confidence of the assembly’s majority.
Hurried approval of schemes
Taking advantage of the situation, the incumbent premier — who had preferred to spend much of his time in Islamabad during the previous two and a half years of his rule — has unusually stationed himself in Muzaffarabad for the past 12 days, where he has been issuing directives and granting administrative approvals on files that had remained pending in his office for several months.
On October 27, he sanctioned six schemes in the energy sector worth over Rs2.68 billion — four of them worth Rs1.4bn for his home district alone. The same day, he approved releases of funds to different departments for the first half of the current fiscal year, amounting Rs3.72bn. However, the approval was withdrawn by the additional chief secretary for development the following day.
In a pointed reference to the situation, the PM’s electoral rival and PML-N Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq took to social media, expressing his surprise that the ministers who had inked out their signatures on the no-confidence resolution were still holding their portfolios and using official resources.
“Since September, AJK has been in a state of political crisis. Although the motion has not yet been formally tabled, it is astonishing that those ministers who have openly declared their intention to support it continue to remain part of the cabinet. The use of official resources and privileges goes on unabated. Good governance remains “untarnished,” and the cloak of austerity has not even been pierced. What a fixed match — and everyone knows it,” he wrote on X.
The usage of the term ‘good governance’ is actually a reference to the AJK PM, with the phrase being used ironically.
“People across AJK are both surprised and saddened by the political farce,” Mr Farooq added.
However, when PPP legislator Mian Abdul Waheed, who still holds the office of law minister in the Haq-led government, was asked by a reporter if it was unethical for cabinet members seeking to dislodge the prime minister to use official transport, he defended it.
“The day the no-confidence motion is tabled and fails, it would become morally, legally and constitutionally impermissible — absolutely haram — for us to retain these official vehicles. Until the motion is actually presented, however, there is nothing written anywhere that bars us from using them.”
Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025
