:Government of Azad Kashmir

{{Short description|State government in Pakistani-administered Kashmir}}

{{Infobox Pakistani province government

| name_of_province = Azad Kashmir

| emblem = 150px

| Provincial_flag = 150px

| seat_of_government = Muzaffarabad

| name_of_President= Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry (President)

| name_of_chief_minister = Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq (Prime Minister)

| legislative_assembly = Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly

| speaker = Vacant

| member_in_assembly = 53

| name_of_chief_secretary = Muhammad Usman Chachar{{cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/2022/05/11/usman-chachar-named-new-ajk-chief-secretary/|title=Usman Chachar Named New AJK Chief Secretary

}}

| high_court = High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

| chief_justice_of_high_court = Sadaqat Hussain Raja{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1668388|date=9 January 2022|access-date=21 January 2022|work=Dawn (newspaper)|title=AJK High Court judges sworn in}}

| supreme_court = Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

| chief_justice_of_supreme_court = Raja Saeed Akram Khan{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1665110|date=22 December 2021|access-date=21 January 2022|work=Dawn (newspaper)|title=AJK govt told to hold LB polls by August next year}}

| website = {{URL|www.ajk.gov.pk}}

| name_of_prime_minister = Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq

}}

{{Politics of Pakistan}}

The Government of Azad Kashmir ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq| حکومتِ آزاد کشمیر}}}}) is the state government which administers one of the territories of Pakistani-administered Kashmir territories of Azad Kashmir. The Azad Kashmir government consists of a president as head of state and a prime minister as chief executive, with the support of a council of ministers. The state assembly is the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly.{{cite web|url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/|title=Home|work=Government of Azad Kashmir|access-date=11 August 2016}}{{Cite web |author=Editorial Staff |date=2025-02-11 |title=AJK Government Not Serious About Empowering Local Bodies, Future Plan to Be Announced on February 15 – Local Representatives |url=https://azaditimes.com/news/ajk-government-not-serious-about-empowering-local-bodies-future-plan-to-be-announced-on-february-15-local-representatives/ |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=The Azadi Times |language=en-US}}

Executive

{{main|President of Azad Kashmir|Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir}}

The chief executive of the government is the prime minister, who is elected by the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly and is supported by a council of ministers.

= Departments and services =

  • Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/auqaf.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk|access-date=2017-05-22|archive-date=2018-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916203811/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/auqaf.php|url-status=dead}}
  • AJ&K Board of Revenue{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/bor.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Services & General Administration{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/sngad.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Election Commission
  • Electricity Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/electricityDpt.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Department
  • Food Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/foodDpt.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk|access-date=2017-05-22|archive-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919141617/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/foodDpt.php|url-status=dead}}
  • Forest Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/forestDpt.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk|access-date=2017-05-22|archive-date=2018-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916171215/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/forestDpt.php|url-status=dead}}
  • Finance Department{{cite web|url=http://www.financeajk.gok.pk/|title=AJK-Finance Department|website=www.financeajk.gok.pk}}
  • Tourism Department{{cite web | url=http://www.ajktourism.gov.pk | title=AJK Tourism }}
  • Industries, Commerce and Labour Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptinc.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Information and Broadcasting Department {{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptInformation.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Information Technology Board{{cite web|url=http://www.itb.ajk.gov.pk/|title=Information Technology Board|website=www.itb.ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptLaw.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Local Government and Rural Development Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptlocalgov.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Police Department{{Cite web |url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptPolice.php |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-05-22 |archive-date=2017-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523072502/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/dptPolice.php |url-status=dead }}
  • Planning & Development{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptpnd.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • State Disaster Management Authority{{cite web|url=http://sdmagok.pk/|title=State Disaster Management Authority|website=sdmagok.pk}}
  • Transport Authority{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptTransport.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Bank of Azad Jammu and Kashmir{{cite web|url=http://bankajk.com/|title=Bank of Azad Jammu & Kashmir|website=bankajk.com}}
  • Health Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptHealth.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Agriculture Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptAgri.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Elementary School and Secondary Education Department{{cite web|url=http://ajk.gov.pk/dptEducation.php|title=AJ&K Portal|website=ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Ehtesab Bureau (State Accountability Bureau)
  • Power Development Organization
  • Higher Education Department
  • AJ&K Public Service Commission
  • Small Industries Department
  • Public Procurement Regulatory Authority AJK
  • Board of Investment (BoI) AJK
  • Home and Prisons Department
  • Communication and Works Department{{Cite web |title=Home - C&W AJK |url=https://cwd.ajk.gov.pk/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=cwd.ajk.gov.pk}}
  • Mirpur Development Authority(MDA)
  • Development Authority Muzzafarabad (DAM)
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) AJK
  • AJK Emergency Services (Rescue 1122)
  • Directorate of Civil Defence AJK
  • Accountant General Office AJK
  • Inland Revenue Services AJK
  • Mineral Resources Department AJK
  • Social Welfare and Women Development Department AJK
  • Human Rights Department AJK
  • Zakat and Ushr Department
  • AJK Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA)
  • AJK Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mirpur
  • Archeology Department{{Cite web |title=AJK-Archeology |url=https://archaeology.ajk.gov.pk/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |language=en-US}}
  • Directorate General Irrigation & Small Dams
  • Livestock and Dairy Development Department{{Cite web |title=Home - Welcome to Livestock AJK |url=https://livestockajk.gov.pk/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |language=en-US}}
  • Attorney General Office AJK
  • Custodian Evacuee Property Department
  • Mangla Dam Housing Authority
  • AJK Cooperative Societies Department
  • Sports, Youth, and Culture Department

Cabinet

{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2023}}

class="wikitable"

|+

!Name

!Portfolio

!Party

!From

!Constituency

Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq

|Prime Minister

|SIC

|April 2023

|LA-7 Bhimber-III

Col(R) Waqar Ahmed Noor

|Ministry of Services and General Administration

(S&GA).

Ministry of Home Affairs

|PMLN

|April 2023

|LA-5 Bhimber-I

Sardar Muhammad Hussain Khan

|Ministry of Population welfare, Irrigation, and Small Dames

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-23 Poonch & Sudhnoti-VI

Aamir Abdul Ghaffar Lone

|Ministry of Environment

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-40 Kashmir Valley-I

Sardar Mir Akbar Khan

|Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Dairy Development

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-16 Bagh-III

Dewan Ali Khan Chughtai

|Ministry of Elementary & Secondary Education

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-33 Muzaffarabad-VII

Mian Abdul Waheed

|Ministry of Law , Justice, Human Rights & Parliamentary Affairs

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-26 Neelum-II

Chaudhry Arshad Hussain

|Ministry of Electricity and Power

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-4 Mirpur-IV

Muhammad Ahmad Raza Qadri

|Ministry of Religious Affairs,Minority, Auqaf, Zakat and Ushr

|PMLN

|June 2023

|LA-44 Kashmir Valley-V

Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed

|Chairman Power Development Organization (PDO)

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-30 Muzaffarabad-IV

Abdul Majid Khan

|Ministry of Finance and Cooperative Societies

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-45 Kashmir Valley-VI

Raja Muhammad Siddique

|Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Labor Welfare, Weight & Measurement , Sericulture, and Printing Press

|PMLN

|June 2023

|LA-39 Jammu and Others-VI

Chaudhary Mohammad Akbar Ibrahim

|Ministry of Food

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-38 Jammu and Others-V

Chaudhry Javed Iqbal Budhanvi

|Ministry of Rehabilitation

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-9 Kotli-II

Syed Bazal Ali Naqvi

|Ministry of Social welfare & Women development

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II

Sardar Muhammad Javed

|Ministry of Wildlife, Fisheries

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I

Sardar Aamir Altaf Khan

|Chairman AJK Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA)

|PMLN

|June 2023

|LA-19 Poonch & Sudhnoti-II

Azhar Sadiq

|Ministry of Works & Communication

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-1 Mirpur-I

Nisar Ansar

|Ministry of Health

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-13 Kotli-VI

Chaudhry Muhammad Ikhlaq

|Ministry of Revenue, Stamps, Custodian

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-11 Kotli-IV

Muhammad Akmal Sargala

|Ministry of Forest

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-37 Jammu and Others-IV

Zaffar Iqbal Malik

|Ministry of Higher Education

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-8 Kotli-I

Sardar Faheem Akhtar

|Ministry of Tourism,Archeology & Mineral Resources

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-24 Poonch & Sudhnoti-VII

Yasir Sultan Chaudhry

|Ministry of Physical Planning & Housing

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-3 Mirpur-III

Javed Butt

|Ministry of Transport

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-43 Kashmir Valley-IV

Muhammad Asim Shareef

|Ministry of Sports ,Youth & Culture

|SIC

|June 2023

|LA-42 Kashmir Valley-III

Amir Yaseen Chaudhry

|Ministry of Emergency Services, State Disaster Management Authority, Civil Defence, Rescue 1122

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-12 Kotli-V

Chaudhry Qasim Majeed

|Chairman Mangla Dam Housing Authority and Mangla Dam Affairs

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-2 Mirpur-II

Sardar Ziaul Qamar

|Ministry of Information Technology

|PPP

|June 2023

|LA-15 Bagh-II

Sardar Amjad Jalil

|Chairman Board of Investment, AJK

|PPP

|June 2023

|

Sardar Ahmad Saghir

Advisor to Government of AJ&k for Prisons

Legislature

{{Main|Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly}}

The Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly, also known as the AJK Legislative Assembly, is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives. The assembly consists of 41 elected members and eight co-opted members of whom five are women, one is from the Ulama community, one is from Jammu and Kashmir technocrats and other professionals, and one is from Jammu and Kashmir nationals residing abroad.{{cite web|url=http://www.ajkassembly.gok.pk/ajkintroduction.htm|title=Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly|website=www.ajkassembly.gok.pk|access-date=2017-05-22|archive-date=2014-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116163139/http://www.ajkassembly.gok.pk/ajkintroduction.htm|url-status=dead}}

Judiciary

= Supreme Court =

The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is the highest court of appeals in Azad Kashmir. It consists of a chief justice and two other judges.{{cite web|url=http://ajksupremecourt.gok.pk/?page_id=4|title=Introduction|website=ajksupremecourt.gok.pk}} The number of judges in the supreme Court has been fixed at three by the Azad Kashmir Interim Constitution Act of 1974.

= High Court =

The high court of Azad Kashmir, which serves as the court of appeals, has three circuit benches based in Kotli, Mirpur and Rawalakot.

{{cite web|url=https://www.ajkhighcourt.gok.pk/establishment-high-court.html|title=ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGH COURT|website=www.ajkhighcourt.gok.pk}}

See also

Chief Election Commissioner for conducting general elections in AJK;

Service Tribunal for adjudicating service issues of civil servants;

Zakat Council for collecting, distributing the zakat system in AJK;

Supreme Judicial Council of AJK;

References

{{reflist}}