Raja Faisal Rathore takes oath as AJK PM after Anwarul Haq ouster

Rathore becomes 16th AJK PM and fourth of current assembly
MUZAFFARABAD
Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Raja Faisal Rathore was sworn in as the new prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, a day after securing the assembly’s vote to replace the ousted Anwarul Haq.
Rathore was administered the oath by AJK Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Lateef Akbar during a ceremony in Muzaffarabad, which was attended by Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governors.
Moreover, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, senior party leader Faryal Talpur and other civil-military officials were also present at the oath-taking ceremony,
After being sworn in, the newly elected AJK PM thanked the PPP’s top leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Talpur, for entrusting him with the premier responsibility.
“I pay tribute to the Pakistan Army, who are defending us by sacrificing their lives,” Rathore said in his speech. He further said that the PPP has taken the responsibility of restoring the relationship with the people.
‘AJK’s unmatched political awareness’
Speaking on the occasion, PPP Chairman Bilawal congratulated the people of AJK, declaring that politics in the region had finally been restored.
Bilawal praised the “unmatched political awareness” of Kashmiris. He said newly sworn‑in AJK PM Rathore had witnessed the people’s protests firsthand and now carried their trust.
“The promises Faisal Rathore made to you are a trust placed with me,” he said, adding that the new prime minister must now resolve the public’s issues. “You must fulfil the commitments you made to the people,” he urged Rathore. Bilawal said that when representatives fail to represent their people, citizens are forced to struggle themselves. “Now in Muzaffarabad, your representative is Faisal Rathore,” he told the crowd. He vowed that the AJK government would not be run “from behind closed doors”.
Turning to India, Bilawal said that Pakistan’s “standard” after the war with India was clear for all to see. He alleged that India was “hiding its face from the world”, and that international forums had seen New Delhi withdraw from scrutiny over the Pahalgam incident in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).