{
  "id": 3955060,
  "title": "PML-N's Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani elected new AJK prime minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/pml-ns-syed-iftikhar-ali-gillani-elected-new-ajk-prime-minister",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T11:46:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2025757/pml-ns-syed-iftikhar-ali-gillani-elected-new-ajk-prime-minister"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Muzaffarabad witnessed the election of PML-N's Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani as the new Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. Gillani secured 30 out of the 44 votes cast in the assembly, with his main rival being PPP's Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi, who received 14 votes. The AJK Assembly has 53 members, but currently, it is comprised of 46 members, with PML-N representing 32 seats and PPP holding 14 seats. The composition is a result of elections for seven seats in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts that have yet to take place. Despite the Speaker not casting his vote and regional PML-N president Shah Ghulam Qadir being absent, Gillani was declared the winner by Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. Gillani succeeded PPP’s Rathore, who had held the position since November 2025. Gillani was nominated by PML-N after discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who informed the visiting leaders about the party’s decision. However, Qadir and Haider, who previously opposed Gillani’s nomination, did not participate in the election, citing disagreements. Qadir, in a post-midnight message, assured the people of Azad Kashmir that Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to respecting the vote would be upheld. PML-N secured 25 seats out of the 38 direct elections in the region, while PPP won 12. The PPP has raised allegations of rigging and irregularities in the elections.",
  "summary": "MUZAFFARABAD: PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani was elected Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s prime minister on Friday, securing 30 of the 44 votes polled in the assembly. His sole contender was PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi, who bagged 14 votes in the contest for the top office. The AJK Assembly comprises 53 members, but its present strength is 46 — PML-N’s being 32, including its allies,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "AJK assembly elects PML-N's Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani as the new prime minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/ajk-assembly-elects-pml-ns-syed-iftikhar-ali-gillani-as-the-new-prime",
        "published": "2026-08-28T10:47:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "PML-N’s Iftikhar Gillani elected new AJK prime minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/pml-ns-iftikhar-gillani-elected-new-ajk-prime-minister",
        "published": "2026-08-28T11:05:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "PML-N’s Iftikhar Gilani becomes AJK premier",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/pml-ns-iftikhar-gilani-becomes-ajk-premier",
        "published": "2026-08-28T11:11:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}