MUZAFFARABAD (Muhammad Aslam Mir) – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominee Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi has been elected president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for a five-year term after securing 32 votes in the presidential election.
Dr Najeeb Naqi defeated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who received 13 votes in the election held at the AJK Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
With 32 votes, Dr Najeeb Naqi has been elected the 23rd president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A candidate needed at least 27 votes to secure the presidency.
The voting process was held at the AJK Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad from 10am to 1pm, followed by the counting of votes.
The election was conducted to fill the constitutional office that had remained vacant since January following the death of former AJK president Barrister Sultan Mahmood. Chaudhry Latif Akbar had initially performed the duties of acting president after Sultan Mahmood’s death.
The responsibility was later assumed by Chaudhry Tariq Farooq after he was elected speaker of the Legislative Assembly on August 25.
Dr Najeeb Naqi was nominated by the PML-N, while the PPP fielded Chaudhry Latif Akbar. Both candidates had submitted their nomination papers on September 19, which were declared valid after scrutiny.
The AJK Legislative Assembly has 46 occupied seats, with the PML-N and its allied member holding 32 seats, while the PPP has 14 members.
Dr Najeeb Naqi belongs to AJK’s Sudhnoti district and has previously served as 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 AJK presidency, which had remained vacant for nearly eight months.