Gillani Elected Prime Minister in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir
Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani of PML-N wins 30 of 44 votes to become prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Lawmakers in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have chosen Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani as the region's new prime minister. The election commission confirmed that Gillani, a candidate of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), secured 30 of the 44 votes cast in the legislative assembly on Friday.
His rival, Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi of the Pakistan People's Party, received 14 votes. The result marks the PML-N's return to power in the region after a decade.
The assembly vote followed legislative elections held in phases due to security concerns, in which candidates backed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party took a commanding lead. Those elections were held amid a boycott call from the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which had urged residents not to participate and continues to hold rallies.
The regional government recently banned JAAC, citing security and public-order concerns. Months of protests led by the group had overshadowed the electoral process.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Gillani on his election. Kashmir remains a flashpoint between Pakistan and India, with both countries claiming the Himalayan territory in full. The neighbours have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.