PML-N’s Dr Najeeb Naqi elected 25th AJK president

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominee Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi was elected the 25th president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday, securing 32 votes in the presidential election held at the AJK Legislative Assembly, Aaj News reported.

Naqi defeated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who secured 13 votes.

Polling was held during a special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad. One assembly member, PPP’s Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, remained absent from the voting, according to reports.

Polling began at 11am and concluded at 1pm, after which the votes were counted and the result was formally announced. Under the AJK Constitution, a candidate needs the support of a majority of the Assembly’s total membership to be elected president.

The 46-member Assembly has 31 PML-N lawmakers and 14 PPP members, with the remaining seat held by Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq. The PML-N also has the support of an allied member, giving its nominee the numbers required to secure the presidency.

Naqi’s 32 votes included 31 votes from PML-N lawmakers and one vote from an allied member, according to reports.

Both Naqi and Latif Akbar are senior AJK politicians who have held key positions in successive governments. Naqi previously served as AJK health minister, while Latif Akbar had served as acting president and speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

The election filled the office of AJK president, which had remained vacant since January following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood.

The AJK Election Commission has also scheduled polling for four vacant seats of the AJK Council for October 12, with polling to be held from 10am to 1pm.