Nawaz Sharif seeks to become Azad Jammu and Kashmir premier amid elections

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif announced his intention to become the premier of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if the Pakistan Muslim League‑N (PML‑N) wins the upcoming AJK elections scheduled in three phases from 27 July to 10 August 2026. Launching the party’s campaign in Muzaffarabad alongside his daughter, Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz, he called AJK his "second home" and said he would ask current Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif to appoint him. Sharif pledged to visit the region every three months, increase the AJK budget tenfold, and deliver major infrastructure projects, including a Kohala–Muzaffarabad motorway, a Jhelum‑river road, ten electric green buses and fifteen mobile hospitals. His statements come amid heightened unrest in the region, where protests against the federal government have resulted in more than 30 deaths and several injuries, prompting election dates to be adjusted. The PML‑N will compete against the Pakistan Peoples Party in the contested constituencies.