ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party has nominated Faisal Mumtaz Rathore for the office of Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir. In the region’s political landscape, Rathore has emerged as a leader who not only carried forward his family’s political legacy but also established himself as a composed and respected figure through consistency, patience and strong public engagement.
Born on April 11, 1978, in Rawalpindi, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore belongs to a well-known political family. He is the son of former Azad Kashmir prime minister Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, while his mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and president of the PPP Women’s Wing.
The Rathore family is counted among the founding and longstanding political families associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party. Faisal received his early education in Rawalpindi and completed his graduation from Punjab University.
His father, Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, played a central role in Kashmir politics for decades, holding key positions including senior minister, prime minister, opposition leader and speaker of the assembly between 1975 and 1996.
After his father’s passing, his elder brother Masood Mumtaz Rathore was elected to the assembly in 1999. Faisal himself entered politics directly in the 2006 elections from Haveli Kahuta. He was first elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly in 2011 on a PPP ticket and served as minister for excise and minister for electricity in the cabinet of Chaudhry Abdul Majeed.
In 2016, Faisal Rathore was arrested in a political case but was later honourably acquitted by the court. On March 23, 2017, he was appointed Secretary General of PPP Azad Kashmir, a position he continues to hold.
He was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly in the last elections, where he played an active role as part of the opposition. In 2023, he was inducted as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in the coalition government of Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq.
Within the same government, he was also appointed head of the negotiation committee with the Awami Action Committee, where he achieved notable successes through patience, civility and a reconciliatory approach.
Faisal Mumtaz Rathore enjoys widespread respect not only among political and military circles but also among the public due to his calm demeanour, balanced approach and non-controversial personality.
