Muzaffarabad, October 26, 2025: In a major political development, five ministers from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Azad Kashmir Forward Bloc have announced their decision to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), giving the party a significant boost in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The ministers met with PPP leaders Faryal Talpur and Chaudhry Riaz, during which they formally announced their inclusion in the party. In a separate meeting, Azad Kashmir Minister for Higher Education Zafar Iqbal Malik also joined the PPP, bringing the party’s total strength in the assembly to 23 members.
The development comes just a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the move to bring a no-confidence motion and form a new government in Azad Kashmir. To secure a majority in the 53-member Legislative Assembly, the PPP requires the support of 27 members.
Before the recent shift, the PPP had 17 members. With the inclusion of six new members from the PTI Forward Bloc, the party is now just four seats short of forming the government. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) currently holds nine seats in the assembly.
Sources said President Zardari has contacted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the formation of a new government. The prime minister has tasked the PML-N AJK Affairs Committee, comprising Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, and Amir Muqam, to engage with the PPP on the matter.
However, former AJK prime minister and PML-N parliamentary leader Raja Farooq Haider has stated that his party will not participate in the government formation process and will sit in the opposition. “The decision is final and will not be changed,” he asserted.
