Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani has been elected prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi by 30 votes to 14.
Gillani secured 30 of the 44 votes cast in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly, while Abbasi received the remaining 14, according to the results of the election.
The AJK legislature has 53 seats, but its current strength stands at 46 as elections for seven constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts have not yet taken place.
The PML-N has 32 members, including its allies, giving Gillani the support of a clear majority in the present assembly. The PPP has 14 lawmakers.
The election followed phased polling for the AJK Assembly, with voting initially scheduled for July 27 but subsequently spread across three dates because of security concerns amid unrest in the region.
The first phase was held on July 27, followed by the second on Aug 2 and the third on Aug 10.
The final phase was initially scheduled to include all 11 constituencies of Poonch Division, comprising three seats in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti.
However, the AJK Election Commission said polling would proceed only in Bagh and Haveli as planned, citing concerns about the law and order situation in the remaining areas.
Across the 38 constituencies where direct elections have so far been held, the PML-N won 25 seats and the PPP secured 12. The sole MLA-elect of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party subsequently joined the PML-N.
On reserved seats, which are allocated separately from directly contested constituencies, the PML-N won six while the PPP secured two.
