— An election rally remark by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif about becoming Azad Kashmir’s prime minister shifted the campaign spotlight, with critics pointing out that the AJK premier is elected by the legislative assembly, not appointed by Islamabad
By Zulqernain
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif’s light-hearted remark that he would ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to “make me the prime minister of Kashmir” if the party won the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections sparked political debate on Tuesday, with opponents questioning the constitutional basis of the statement.
Speaking at the launch of the PML-N’s election campaign in Muzaffarabad ahead of the July 27 AJK polls, Mr Sharif told supporters that Azad Kashmir was as dear to him as Punjab and expressed confidence that his party would return to power in the territory.
زیادہ پرانی بات نہیں 2016 میں نواز شریف وزیراعظم تھے اور آزاد کشمیر کے الیکشن میں لاہور سے مہاجرین کی نشست تحریک انصاف نے جیت لی جس کے بعد مسلم لیگ ن کے رہنما راجہ فاروق حیدر نے مجھے کہا کہ مہاجرین کی نشستوں پر اکثر ووٹ جعلی ہیں میں یہ ووٹ کینسل کراؤں گا ۔ ۔ ہے نہ مزے کی بات 😆 pic.twitter.com/MMBfsuFRPS
— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) July 21, 2026
In a remark that drew laughter and applause from party workers, the three-time former prime minister said he would ask his younger brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to make him the prime minister of Azad Kashmir.
The statement quickly became the subject of political criticism, with rival parties arguing that the office of the AJK prime minister cannot be filled through appointment by Pakistan’s federal government.
نواز شریف نے مظفر آباد میں جلسے سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے خواہیش ظاہر کی کہ وہ آزادکشمیر کا وزیراعظم بننا چاہتے ہیں بس پھر کیا تھا۔۔۔ پنڈال سے وزیراعظم نواز شریف کے نعرے لگنے شروع ہو گئے اور نوازشریف نے بھی خوش ہو کر کہا کہ لگاؤ نعرے خوب نعرے لگاؤ 😆👏 pic.twitter.com/j3nHs1X0xt
— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) July 21, 2026
Under the Interim Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister is elected by members of the AJK Legislative Assembly after a general election. Although Pakistan exercises considerable influence over the region’s affairs, the office is constitutionally filled through a vote in the assembly rather than by nomination from Islamabad.
Political observers viewed Mr Sharif’s remarks as campaign rhetoric delivered in a humorous setting. Nevertheless, critics said the statement inadvertently reinforced long-standing allegations by opposition parties that Islamabad plays an outsized role in AJK politics.
Under the Interim Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister is elected by members of the AJK Legislative Assembly after a general election.
The comments came as political parties intensified campaigning for the July 27 elections, with the PML-N seeking to regain power in the territory amid a highly competitive contest involving the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed candidates and other political groups.
The episode shifted attention from the party’s campaign promises to a debate over constitutional procedure and the relationship between Islamabad and the AJK government, providing fresh ammunition to political opponents during the closing days of the election campaign.
