MUZAFFARABAD – The race for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) premiership continues and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif picked Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani as the party’s candidate for next AJK PM seat.
The nomination was announced a day before AJK Legislative Assembly is due to elect the new premier. Gilani’s selection comes after the party withdrew its earlier nomination of Shah Ghulam Qadir.
With PML-N holding a commanding position in the assembly, Gilani appears well placed to secure the coveted office in Friday’s vote. PML-N bagged 25 of the 38 contested general seats in the recent AJK elections and has further strength through reserved seats and support from other lawmakers.
Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gilani
Gilani’s political journey took unexpected turn the 2026 elections. He contested the LA-29 Muzaffarabad city constituency but lost to PPP candidate Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi by around 3,000 votes.
His defeat, however, did not end his bid for a return to the assembly. He subsequently secured a reserved technocrat/professionals seat after obtaining 26 votes, putting him back in the legislative race—and now within reach of the AJK premiership.
Gilani is no newcomer to AJK politics. He served as PML-N AJK Secretary Information and previously represented the region in the Legislative Assembly during the 2011 and 2016 terms. He also brings cabinet experience, having served as AJK education minister for several years, including during Raja Farooq Haider’s tenure around 2016–2018.
During his time in the education ministry, Gilani pushed for changes to the recruitment process, particularly for teachers. In 2018, he advocated hiring through the National Testing Service (NTS), arguing that appointments should be based on merit rather than political influence.
He also opposed ad-hoc recruitment and political appointments, describing merit-based hiring as a way to tackle nepotism in the education department, one of AJK’s largest public-sector employers.
A barrister by profession, Gilani has been described in reports as a law graduate of the University of London. His political activities have largely centered on Muzaffarabad and PML-N’s organizational structure in AJK.
Gilani’s political career has not been without controversy. In 2023, media reports linked him to arrest warrants issued in connection with allegations surrounding a disputed plot and an alleged land-fraud case.
His brother Syed Mehr Gilani and Muzaffarabad Mayor Syed Sikander Gilani were also named in those reports. However, publicly available reporting offers limited information about the final outcome of the proceedings, and the allegations should not be treated as a conviction or established wrongdoing.
On Friday, AJK Legislative Assembly will decide whether Gilani moves from seasoned politician and former minister to the region’s next prime minister.
