Maps
Magazine

POLITICS & POLICY MAKING

PPP Nominates Faisal Rathore as Candidate for Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir
PPP has officially nominated Faisal Rathore for AJK’s next prime minister as the party moves ahead with Monday’s no-confidence vote. PPP says it now has the “golden number” to form government.
MH
by Muhammad Hashir
2025-11-14
PPP Nominates Faisal Rathore as Candidate for Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday formally named Faisal Rathore as its nominee for the position of Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), signaling a decisive move as the party prepares to table a no-confidence motion against the incumbent government.

The announcement was made by PPP AJK President Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin during a media briefing outside Zardari House in Islamabad, accompanied by senior PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf. Yasin said the party leadership had unanimously decided to put forward Rathore—who serves as the General Secretary of PPP AJK—as their candidate for the region’s top executive post.

“We are going to table the vote of no confidence today, so God willing, in the next few days, PPP will have its government in AJK,” he said, adding that voting on the motion is set to begin Monday.

Raja Pervez Ashraf praised Rathore as an “educated, experienced, and dedicated” political figure who has previously served in the AJK Assembly and cabinet. “The party has made an excellent decision,” Ashraf said, reaffirming PPP’s longstanding commitment to the people of Kashmir. “We want to ease their hardships and prepare the ground for the next elections.”

PPP Claims Majority Support

The AJK Legislative Assembly comprises 52 members, requiring 27 for a simple majority. Earlier in October, PPP secured exactly 27 members after ten forward bloc lawmakers joined the party, giving it what Chaudhry Yasin described as the “golden number.”

Ashraf emphasized that the PPP is now the largest parliamentary party and has consolidated the backing of its allies. “We are fully capable of forming the government,” he said, expressing confidence that the no-confidence move would succeed.

He added that the PPP intends to bring peace and stability to the region while fulfilling commitments made to the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee.

Background of the Nomination

Rathore’s name was among several considered for the prime ministerial nomination, including Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Chaudhry Yasin, and Sardar Yaqub. Under the AJK Constitution, any no-confidence motion must include the name of the proposed successor.

Who Is Faisal Rathore?

Faisal Rathore is a seasoned political figure within the PPP’s AJK chapter and hails from one of the region’s most prominent political families. Born on April 11, 1978, he is the son of former AJK Prime Minister Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore and former legislator Begum Farhat Rathore.

His family, rooted in AJK’s Haveli district, is regarded as one of the founding pillars of the PPP in the region.

Rathore has served multiple terms in the AJK Legislative Assembly, winning his first election in 2011. Under the PPP government of Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, he held ministerial portfolios including the AJK Logging and Sawmills Corporation and the Ministry of Electricity.

He currently serves as the Secretary General of PPP AJK, a role he has held since 2017, and has maintained a reputation as a calm, conciliatory political actor with influence across party lines.

In 2023, he joined the coalition government as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development and led negotiations with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee.

A media professional as well, he has hosted a regular programme on a private TV channel and is regarded as a trusted ally of PPP leadership, particularly Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Faryal Talpur.

With PPP confident of its numerical strength in the assembly, Rathore now stands poised to potentially take on one of the most significant political roles in the region.
Tagged:

ppp

AzadKashmir

NoConfidenceMotion

AJKPolitics

FaisalRathore
Share News: