Who is Sardar Abdul Qayum Niazi-the next prime minister of AJK?

Abdul Qayum Niazi was not among the top contenders for PM but emerged as dark horse 

The PTI candidate for the PM AJK Abdul Qayum Niazi won elections from LA-18 Abbaspur Poonch. He contested his first election on PTI ticket and succeeded to win his seat.  He defeated PML-N candidate Ch Yasin Gulshan.  He won 2021 elections against Yasin Gulshan after losing elections in 2011 and 2016 on MC ticket. Ch Yasin Gulshan of PML-N  defeated him on both occasions.

Qayum Niazi won the first election in 2006 on Muslim Conference ticket. He served as minister food AJK in the cabinet of Prime Minister Sardar Atique Ahmad of MC from 2006 to 2011. He remained loyal with MC from 1990s to 2019. He remained with MC when many MC stalwarts joined PML-N when it was launched in 2010. He left MC and joined PTI two years ago.

He has been elected as an MLA after defeating PML-N’s Chaudhry Yasin in LA-18 Poonch. He joined PTI after leaving Muslim Conference two years back. Abdul Qayum Niazi has emerged as a dark horse as the lead contenders for the post were Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry and Azhar Sadiq. But he emerged as dark horse and surprised many.

Sardar Abdul Qayum Niazi elected from the most deprived constituency spread over 80% across LOC. He is active in politics for nearly 40 years. He started his political career as district councilor after the death of his father. 

                                                    Khalid Bhatti