Muzaffarabad: Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Pakistan administrated Kashmir, has decided to quit the Istiqam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and is expected to join a new political party soon.
According to details, Ilyas, who also served as the IPP’s AJK president, finalized his decision to leave the party after the Supreme Court recently overturned his disqualification. Sources indicate he has held crucial meetings with leaders from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the Muslim Conference to discuss his political future.
Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was elected from Bagh constituency in the 2021 AJK elections on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticket and was a candidate for the premiership during government formation. However, PTI founder Imran Khan nominated Sardar Qayyum Niazi as Prime Minister instead, appointing Ilyas as a senior minister and placating Barrister Sultan Mahmood by making him AJK President.
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Following the ouster of Imran Khan’s federal government via a no-confidence vote in 2022, Ilyas allied with PTI dissident Ali Amin Gandapur to table a no-confidence motion against his own party’s Prime Minister, Sardar Qayyum Niazi. The motion succeeded, paving the way for Ilyas to assume the premiership. However, the AJK High Court later disqualified him over a controversial speech criticizing judges. His disqualification was revoked by the Supreme Court last month.
Likely Shift to Muslim Conference
Insiders suggest Ilyas may join the Muslim Conference, a regional party currently reduced to a single seat in the AJK Assembly. His entry could reinvigorate the party, which has historically advocated for Kashmir’s right to self-determination.
Consultations Underway, Says Spokesperson
Sardar Mashal Younis, IPP AJK’s spokesperson, clarified that Sardar Tanveer Ilyas remains the party’s head for now but is consulting widely on his political future. He confirmed that several political figures from AJK and Pakistan have contacted Ilyas with invitations to join their parties.
“Any decision will consider AJK’s evolving political landscape, challenges faced by the region, public aspirations, and the hopes of oppressed communities in Indian-occupied Kashmir,” Younis stated.
The move comes amid shifting alliances in AJK politics, with observers closely watching how Ilyas’s next steps could reshape the region’s governance ahead of future elections.
