He subsequently took oath of office and, in his maiden address to the assembly, pledged to bring comprehensive reforms and development to the region.
During the election, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Mukhtar Khan secured 14 votes. The PML-N currently has 32 members in the assembly, while elections on seven seats are yet to be completed.
Addressing the assembly after taking oath, Barrister Iftikhar Gilani said that Pakistan and Kashmir were incomplete without each other. He said his government would seek to bring the same kind of development and transformation to Azad Kashmir that, according to him, Punjab had witnessed under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Gilani expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for their support. He said the Kashmir issue was not merely a dispute over a piece of land, but fundamentally concerned the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
He strongly condemned India's August 5, 2019 actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and expressed concern over what he described as continued violations and hardships faced by the Kashmiri people.
Gilani said his government would ensure merit in appointments and introduce a third-party recruitment mechanism on the pattern of the National Testing Service (NTS).
He acknowledged that the government could not provide public-sector jobs to everyone and said efforts would instead focus on improving opportunities and strengthening institutional performance.
He announced plans to move Azad Kashmir towards a digital economy and said modern technology would be used to create new opportunities and improve governance.
Referring to internet connectivity challenges in the region, he acknowledged that access remained inadequate but assured the assembly that improvements would be made gradually.
The new prime minister also promised reforms in the health and education sectors, saying both departments required greater attention to improve public services and institutional performance.
He further announced plans to launch a citizen portal to provide residents with a platform for registering complaints and seeking solutions to public-service issues.