Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Iftikhar Gillani Elected Prime Minister of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
Iftikhar Ali Gillani was elected leader of the government in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
He belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, or PML-N.
He received 30 votes, while Mukhtar Ahmed received 14.
Only 44 lawmakers voted because one official did not vote and another missed the session.
Seven seats in the assembly are still empty because elections were delayed.
Gillani had lost when running for a regular seat but later entered the assembly through a reserved technocrat seat.
The elections were accompanied by protests and accusations of cheating.
A protest group called the Joint Awami Action Committee has opposed some parts of the electoral system.
India disputes Pakistan’s control over the territory.
PML-N’s Iftikhar Ali Gillani won 30 of 44 votes in the regional assembly.
PPP candidate Mukhtar Ahmed received 14 votes in Friday’s vote in Muzaffarabad.
Seven assembly seats remain vacant because elections were delayed over law-and-order concerns.
The July-August elections were marked by violent protests and allegations of widespread rigging.
Gillani’s election followed his defeat in a general constituency and protests by the Joint Awami Action Committee.
- Who
- Iftikhar Ali Gillani of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz was elected, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Mukhtar Ahmed.
- What
- Gillani was elected prime minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by the regional legislative assembly.
- When
- The election took place on Friday, after assembly elections held in three phases on July 27, August 2 and August 3.
- Where
- The vote was held in Muzaffarabad, the region’s capital.
- Why
- Gillani was nominated by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif after the party won a majority of direct and reserved assembly seats.
Election and Assembly Position
Critics and Territorial Dispute
Legitimacy of Gillani’s election
Election and Assembly Position
The regional assembly elected Gillani with 30 of the 44 votes cast, after PML-N secured the largest number of direct and reserved seats.
Critics and Territorial Dispute
The election followed protests, allegations of massive rigging, delayed voting in seven constituencies and criticism from the Joint Awami Action Committee; Gillani also won a reserved seat after losing a general election.
Status of the territory
Election and Assembly Position
The report describes Gillani as elected prime minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and presents the vote as an internal regional assembly process.
Critics and Territorial Dispute
India says Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India and that Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of parts of those territories.
- Winner
- Iftikhar Ali Gillani of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz
- Vote result
- Gillani received 30 votes; Mukhtar Ahmed received 14
- Assembly participation
- The assembly has 53 seats, with 46 currently filled; 44 lawmakers voted
- Seat distribution
- PML-N won 25 direct seats and six reserved seats; PPP won 12 direct seats and two reserved seats
- Delayed elections
- Seven seats in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts remain unfilled because of law-and-order concerns
- Election controversy
- The polls were marked by violent protests and allegations of massive rigging
- Protest movement
- The Joint Awami Action Committee has protested against the 12 seats reserved for refugees