Sajid Iqbal Abbasi Joins PML-N to Form AJK Government

Independent lawmaker Sajid Iqbal Abbasi joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on August 17, 2026, to assist the party in forming a government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Abbasi, who won the LA-14 Dhirkot seat on the Awami Dast-e-Bazu ticket, defeated long-time political heavyweight Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan by over 21,000 votes, ending decades of the Khan family's dominance in the constituency.

During a press conference with Rana Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Abbasi stated that the Awami Dast-e-Bazu Party allied with the PML-N to eliminate backwardness in the West Bagh constituency. He identified law and order as the region's most significant current challenge.

Rana Sanaullah announced that the PML-N currently holds 25 directly elected seats. He projected the party could reach 33 seats after the allocation of special seats and potentially secure a two-thirds majority of 36 seats following elections for six remaining seats in the Poonch division on August 24. Sanaullah pledged to bring development to the region similar to that of Punjab.

While the PML-N prepares to govern, the Pakistan Peoples Party, which secured 12 seats, intends to file a petition with the Azad Kashmir High Court. The petition seeks to restrain the formation of the government until the assembly is fully constituted.