MUZAFFARABAD: Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, the newly elected Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has officially taken the oath of office.
Acting President and Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, administered the oath.
Read More: Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, elected PM of AJK, after No-Confidence Motion against Anwar ul Haq
Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was elected as the Leader of the House in Azad Kashmir yesterday, following the successful passage of a no-confidence motion against former Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq.
A large gathering, including Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP’s Kashmir Affairs Incharge Faryal Talpur, members of the Legislative Assembly, heads of various institutions, and party workers attended the event.
Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore hails from Mumtazabad in the Haveli district of Azad Kashmir. Born on April 11, 1978, in Rawalpindi, he belongs to a prominent political family of the region.
His father, Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, has previously served as Prime Minister, Senior Minister, and Speaker of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly. His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, and brother, Raja Masood Mumtaz Rathore, have also been members of the assembly.
Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was first elected to the assembly in 2011 and held portfolios including Religious Affairs and Power in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed. Since 2017, he has been serving as the General Secretary of the PPP Azad Kashmir chapter.
He also served as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in the former coalition government formed in April 2023.
Bilawal says Pakistan’s strength exposed India after war
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that after the recent conflict with India, Pakistan’s capabilities have become evident to the world, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now “hiding from the global community.”
Speaking at the ceremony in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal said that when public representatives fail to stand up for their people, citizens are forced to struggle on their own. He said that during the period when the people of Kashmir were protesting, Faisal Rathore witnessed their movement closely.
Bilawal added that Faisal Rathore is now the people’s representative in Muzaffarabad, and the promises he made to the public are a trust handed over to him. He stressed that his party would not run Azad Kashmir’s government from behind closed doors.
The PPP chairman said that the party’s mandate was stolen in the past to bring Imran Khan into power. He recalled visiting the region during elections and said that the people of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan did not disappoint him. “The political awareness in Kashmir is unmatched,” he added.
Bilawal said that following the war with India, Pakistan’s standard and strength are clear for all to see, while Modi is avoiding the international community. “The United States and other countries will remind him that seven aircraft were downed. India is running away from every global forum,” he stated.
He further said that India continues to target the bond between Pakistan and Kashmir. Addressing the Indian government, he said, “You have lost wars, and now you will lose your conspiracies as well.”
