PML-N's Dr Najeeb Naqi elected AJK president for five-year term

The election was held at the AJK Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, where lawmakers voted between 10am and 1pm. The result was announced after the completion of polling and counting. The presidential election was held to fill the constitutional office that had remained vacant since January following the death of former AJK president Barrister Sultan Mahmood.

Following Sultan Mahmood’s death, then-Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar had performed the duties of acting president. The responsibility was later assumed by Chaudhry Tariq Farooq after he was elected speaker on August 25. Dr Najeeb Naqi was nominated by the PML-N, while the PPP fielded Chaudhry Latif Akbar for the presidential election.

Both candidates had submitted their nomination papers on September 19, which were declared valid after scrutiny. The AJK Legislative Assembly has 46 members, with the PML-N holding 31 seats and the PPP 14. Under the AJK Constitution, the president is elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly by a majority of the total membership.

Dr Najeeb Naqi belongs to AJK’s Sudhnoti district and has previously served as the region’s health minister. He also held the health portfolio in the PML-N government from 2016 to 2021. The election completes the process of filling the region’s vacant constitutional presidency after nearly eight months.