The turbulence of politics in AJK may be seen from the fact that the AJK Legislative Assembly has elected on Monday the fourth Prime Minister of AJK since it came into existence since the 2021 election. It is worth noting that the AJK since 1985 has run to its full-five year term, except when the new PM’s father, Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore dissolved virtually at the beginning of tenure after the Pakistan government, of Benazir Bhutto, was dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, and the next election was won by the Muslim Conference, with Sardar Abdul Qayyum, becoming Prime Minister. Since 195, the story of AJK politics seems to have been one of the ruling party Islamabad winning the AJK election, Perhaps one reason for this is that the AJK government is not solely meant to be provincial government for AJK, but acts to enable the Free State to act as a base camp for the freedom of the whole of Jammu and Kashmir. Secondly, apart from the natural desire of the federal government to control AJK, the .AJK electorate wants a government more in line with Islamabad rather than one perpetually sniping at it. At the same time, there has generally been little sniping. AJK PMs elected while their party held office in Islamabad have learnt of late to live with the Pakistani government when it changed stripe.
A destabilizing factor has been the PTI, which formed the government after the 2021 election, but which itself saw Ch Tanveer Iyas replace Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, When Imran was ousted, so was Ch Ilyas, and the PTI parliamentary party split, with one of its members, Ch Anwarul Haq, the PM with the support of the PML and the PPP.
However, now Faisal Rathore has come to office. He is not the first PM’s son to have become PM, the first being Sardar Atique Ahmad, the son of Sardar Abdul Qayyum. Faisal Rathore does not have a long tenure ahead of him, with elections due next year. His ascension further marks the generational turnover in Pakistani politics. Perhaps more important will be how he plays a role in the liberation of Indian Occupied Kashmir. He should not forget that is an important aspiration for the people of AJK. As PPP general secretary, as some imbued with the PPP spirit, he would remember PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s vow to liberate Kashmir, even if it meant fighting for a thousand years.
