Bilawal Bhutto Meets Fazlur Rehman Amid AJK Political Realignments

AD Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday to discuss the evolving political situation in the country, particularly against the backdrop of a major shift in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) politics.

According to the PPP’s media cell, the meeting took place at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence in Islamabad, where both leaders exchanged views on the national political landscape and issues of mutual concern.

The development follows the defection of 10 PTI legislators in AJK, who announced on Sunday their decision to join the PPP—a move that has significantly bolstered the party’s strength and positioned it to form the next government in the region.

In the 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly, the PPP now enjoys the backing of 27 members, followed by PML-N (9), PTI (5), and two smaller regional parties with one seat each. The PTI renegade group led by Abdul Majid Khan Haq has been reduced to 10 members.

Bilawal was accompanied by senior PPP leaders Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Humayun Khan, and Jamil Soomro, while Maulana Asad Mahmood represented the JUI-F leadership during the meeting.

Separately, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported that the two leaders discussed “national issues and matters of mutual interest,” signaling possible coordination ahead of key political developments.

The meeting came a day after JUI-F announced plans for a “long march” on Islamabad and a series of nationwide gatherings against what it called “flawed government policies.” Addressing reporters in Quetta on Sunday, JUI-F Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri criticized the government for rising inflation, unemployment, and dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“The economy has been mortgaged to the IMF,” Haideri said. “We will not accept slave-like economic policies under any circumstances.”

The back-to-back political developments — PPP’s surge in AJK and JUI-F’s renewed protest call — signal potential turbulence in the national political arena as opposition parties recalibrate their strategies ahead of key decisions in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad.