Shah Ghulam Qadir Nominated as PML-N Candidate for AJK Prime Minister
MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Shah Ghulam Qadir has been nominated as the party’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister of AJK.
According to sources, an important consultative meeting was held last week in Raiwind under the chairmanship of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, which was also attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
After detailed consultations, the leadership decided to nominate Shah Ghulam Qadir as the new prime minister of Azad Kashmir.
Shah Ghulam Qadir is expected to be elected Leader of the House in the AJK Legislative Assembly on Thursday. His oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to be held at 5pm on August 27 at the High Court Ground.
Qadir is considered one of the most experienced parliamentary leaders in AJK, with more than three decades of parliamentary and electoral experience. He has been elected a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly seven times and served as Speaker of the assembly twice, in 2006 and 2016.
He has also held several key portfolios, including finance, planning and development, food and information.
Shah Ghulam Qadir began his political career with the Muslim Conference and later became one of the founding leaders of PML-N AJK. He has played an important role in the party’s organisational restructuring, political outreach and preparations for future elections.
Alongside his parliamentary career, Qadir has advocated the Kashmir issue at international forums. He has raised the issue of the right to self-determination of Kashmiris at the United Nations General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and other international platforms.
He has also remained active in representing Kashmiris living as refugees in Pakistan and promoting the Kashmir cause.
Qadir’s political philosophy is described as being based on the accession of Kashmir to Pakistan, constitutional democracy, parliamentary supremacy and institutional stability.
His political connections with various groups, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, as well as his command of the Kashmiri language, have also contributed to his standing in AJK politics.
With seven electoral victories, experience of holding several key ministries and two terms as assembly speaker, Shah Ghulam Qadir’s nomination is being viewed as PML-N’s decision to entrust the leadership of the AJK government to an experienced parliamentarian.
Political circles believe his longstanding parliamentary experience and strong links with Islamabad could prove to be important political factors for the incoming government.
