The no-confidence motion was supported by 36 lawmakers, including those from the PPPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Two members opposed the motion.

PPP’s candidate for the premier’s slot, Rathore, received 36 votes, with two against.

Overall, Rathore is the 16th AJK PM and the fourth of the current assembly. Those who have served in the top post during the incumbent assembly’s tenure, apart from Haq, include Abdul Qayyum Khan and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan.

Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar presided over Monday’s session, attended by lawmakers of the PPP, PML-N, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, including Leader of the Opposition, Khawaja Farooq Ahmad.

Strict security measures were put in place at the Assembly Secretariat, Ministers’ Block, and Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

Addressing the Legislative Assembly after being elected, Rathore said that the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee is “a reality” and has to be recognised, pledging to address public grievances while staying within the limits of available resources.

The AJK PM-elect said the public often assumes politicians belong to a privileged class, “but we are not that kind of politicians.”

He revealed that his father had built a house, which he later sold to cover his election expenses. “Whatever assets I own today, you may review them even after my tenure as prime minister,” he added.

He acknowledged that some issues could have been resolved earlier, but were delayed. “As prime minister, I commit that no delay will come from my pen,” he said.

Rathore said Allah, the Almighty, placed a heavy responsibility on the shoulders of a political worker. “This responsibility is not just on me, but on all those who voted for me,” he noted.

He recalled that former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto had entrusted his father with the office, while today, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had placed trust in him.

He also remarked: “For the first time, a departing prime minister welcomed the incoming prime minister while leaving,” terming it a positive political gesture.

Earlier speaking on the floor of the assembly, ex-PM Haq said that no single individual could be held solely responsible for the “destruction of the constitution and administrative system,” noting that members of his cabinet also share responsibility for governance outcomes.

Haq said he was placing his remarks on record, expressing gratitude to the assembly that “gave him political life.”

He said that no formula for the division of Kashmir could succeed under his leadership and described signing off on ending reserved seats for refugees as “political death.”

The political system could only survive, he said, if the region’s borders are protected. “Without Pakistan’s armed forces, nothing will remain.”

On recent political developments, Haq said that he would have supported Rathore for the prime minister’s post had the elections been held.

“I was once asked to dissolve the assembly by February 15 this year, but I refused to do so,” he added.

The PPP had moved to consolidate its government in the autonomous region shortly after President Asif Ali Zardari revealed the political strategy last month.

The party bolstered its strength in the Legislative Assembly when 10 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers joined the PPP on October 26 during a meeting with President Zardari’s sister, Faryal Talpur, at Zardari House in Islamabad.

Among those who joined the PPP were Muhammad Hussain, Chaudhry Yasir, Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq, Chaudhry Arshad, Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed, Zafar Iqbal Malik, Faheem Akhtar Rabbani, Abdul Majid Khan, Muhammad Akbar Ibrahim, and Asim Sharif Butt.

Later, the PML-N also tendered its support for the no-confidence motion, but decided against joining the government’s fold.