AJK PM Iftikhar Gilani retains key portfolios pending polls in seven Poonch Division seats and cabinet expansion
An eight-member cabinet of the newly formed Azad Jammu and Kashmir government was sworn in on Friday, September 4, 2026. Photo: Express
The newly formed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday allocated portfolios to its eight-member cabinet, assigning key departments to the newly inducted ministers as it moves to accelerate administrative work and implement its governance agenda.
The Services and General Administration Department S & GAD formally notified the distribution of portfolios following the formation of the cabinet.
According to the notification, Sardar Mir Akbar has been entrusted with Physical Planning and Housing, while Col (retd) Waqar Ahmed Noor has been allocated Forests and Fisheries. Engineer Umair Naeem will look after School Education, Azhar Sadiq has been assigned Colleges and Higher Education, and Abdul Rehman Arain has been given Tourism, Industries and Mineral Resources.
Raja Saqib Majeed has been given the portfolios of Energy and Water Resources, Raja Riasat has been assigned Rehabilitation and Revenue, while Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi will oversee the Health Department.
The allocation of portfolios comes after the eight-member cabinet took the oath on Friday, formally setting the stage for the new PML-N administration to begin work on its policy priorities and address pressing public and administrative issues.
Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani, meanwhile, has retained several major portfolios, including Law, Food, Livestock , Finance, Planning and Development, Local Government, Communications and Works, Information, Inland Revenue, Zakat, Agriculture and Home Affairs at least until the completion of polling on seven seats in the Poonch Division’s Rawalakot and Sudhnoti districts and a possible expansion of the cabinet.
Read More: AJK’s PML-N led government forms eight-member cabinet
The ministers were expected to assume charge of their respective departments and begin reviewing ongoing development projects, administrative matters and issues confronting the public.
The ministers are also expected to focus on the implementation of the government’s priority agenda, with particular emphasis on improving service delivery, speeding up administrative processes and ensuring greater public relief.
The move to distribute the portfolios is being viewed as an important step towards making the government fully functional. With major departments now assigned to cabinet members, the administration is expected to shift its focus from the formation of government to governance and delivery.
The ministers would undertake briefings from senior officials and review the performance of their respective departments, ongoing schemes and development programmes in the coming days.
All eight cabinet members have expressed their commitment to discharging their responsibilities in accordance with the Constitution and law, improving the performance of their respective departments and taking measures to provide maximum relief to the people of Azad Kashmir.
The government is also expected to revisit the composition and size of the cabinet following the conclusion of the remaining electoral process in the Poonch Division.
