WITH the completion of the presidential election, Azad Jammu and Kashmir has entered a new phase of its constitutional and political journey. The three principal constitutional offices are now held by Dr Najeeb Naqi as President, Barrister Iftikhar Gillani as Prime Minister and Chaudhry Tariq Farooq as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. This political triad is significant beyond the personalities involved. It brings together three constitutional offices at a time when AJK faces substantial public expectations and responsibilities arising from its political, economic and strategic position. Poonch, Muzaffarabad and Mirpur have distinctive political identities and their presence at the apex of the constitutional structure can acquire significance if regional diversity is translated into political inclusion, institutional balance and effective governance.
For Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani, the immediate task is to translate political commitments into an identifiable programme of government. The proposed first 100 days should establish clear priorities, realistic timelines, adequate resources and measurable outcomes. Roads, electricity, health, education, employment, tourism, hydropower, municipal services and economic opportunities directly affect citizens’ daily lives. As Speaker, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq will have a different but equally important constitutional role. He will be responsible for protecting the dignity, neutrality and orderly functioning of the Legislative Assembly. The House should provide legislative support to the government while remaining an effective forum for debate, representation and accountability.
Dr Najeeb Naqi assumes the presidency, an office requiring dignity, constitutional balance and political restraint. The President is not a parallel executive, but the office can contribute to institutional harmony and constitutional continuity when exercised within its defined sphere. An immediate challenge is completion of the electoral process in the seven remaining constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti, five in Poonch and two in Sudhnoti. Polling was postponed amid law-and-order concerns, while the remaining four constituencies of Poonch Division proceeded to polling. Bringing this unfinished electoral chapter to a credible, peaceful and representative conclusion will be important for political normalcy and full constitutional representation. These three political friends also share a priority: to help create conditions for holding elections in the seven remaining constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti as soon as practicable, peacefully and credibly.
Beyond this lies the larger responsibility arising from the post-August 5, 2019 Kashmir scenario. India’s constitutional and administrative changes concerning Jammu and Kashmir fundamentally altered the political environment surrounding the Kashmir dispute and added new dimensions to its constitutional, diplomatic and international context. For AJK, governance and the Kashmir cause cannot, therefore, be treated as entirely separate responsibilities. The region needs institutions capable of delivering effectively at home while articulating its political position on Kashmir with credibility, consistency and constitutional maturity. Public confidence generated through good governance can strengthen AJK’s ability to discharge its wider responsibilities. The wider political context is also significant. The present AJK government is led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif remain important figures in the wider PML-N structure, while Senator Ishaq Dar holds a significant position in the federal political and economic architecture.
Political support from Islamabad can provide resources and policy coordination, but cannot substitute for performance within AJK. Citizens ultimately experience governance through the quality of services they receive, the responsiveness of institutions and the ease with which ordinary problems are addressed. This is where political commitments must become visible administrative results, particularly in areas affecting ordinary households and young people. The Speaker can provide parliamentary oversight and legislative discipline. The Prime Minister can concentrate on administration, development and service delivery. The President can provide constitutional continuity and institutional dignity. If these responsibilities are clearly understood and respected, the three offices can complement rather than compete with one another.
The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir have heard many political promises over the years. What they now seek is visible change in their daily lives: functional roads, dependable electricity, responsive hospitals, quality education, efficient public services and greater economic opportunities for the younger generation.
The completion of the constitutional structure marks the beginning, not the conclusion, of this political process. Dr Najeeb Naqi, Barrister Iftikhar Gillani and Chaudhry Tariq Farooq now occupy three different constitutional offices, but their collective responsibility is closely connected: to make institutions work, preserve political and regional harmony, deliver on public commitments and earn public confidence through demonstrable performance.
—The writer is a Supreme Court lawyer and former member & Chairman Standing Committee of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council. Islamabad
