PML-N’s Najeeb Naqi secures AJK presidency

Dr Najeeb Naqi of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was elected president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday, securing a clear majority in the presidential election.

Naqi received 32 votes in the election held at the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar secured 13 votes. Polling began at 11am and concluded at 1pm.

Under the AJK Constitution, the president is elected by members of the Legislative Assembly through a majority of the total membership. The assembly has 45 members, making 23 votes necessary for a candidate to secure the presidency.

Naqi has previously served as AJK health minister. He has also held the education and information technology portfolios. He was scheduled to contest the 2026 general elections, but polling in seven constituencies of the Poonch division was postponed because of the law and order situation in the region. One of the affected constituencies was his own.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Naqi on his election and expressed his best wishes for his new responsibilities. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz said Naqi’s election reflected confidence in his leadership.

The prime minister expressed hope that the newly elected president would perform his constitutional duties effectively and contribute to the development, prosperity and welfare of the people of AJK. He also assured that the federal government would continue to extend its cooperation to the AJK government.

The office of the AJK president had remained vacant since January following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood. Chaudhry Latif Akbar initially served as acting president. The responsibility later passed to Chaudhry Tariq Farooq after he was elected speaker of the Legislative Assembly on August 25.

Following the announcement of the election results, Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin congratulated Naqi during the assembly session. However, he also repeated the PPP’s allegations concerning irregularities in the recent AJK elections.

Yasin further criticised the government for what he described as politically motivated decisions. Former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider rejected the allegations and defended the government’s position.

Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq asked lawmakers to keep the discussion focused on the presidential election and suggested that other political allegations could be discussed on another occasion.

Later, AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani congratulated Naqi, the PML-N leadership and the people of the Poonch division on his election. He described Naqi as a respectable figure and said his election had brought renewed optimism to the region.

Gillani also called for strengthening the legislative institution and said the government would continue conducting its affairs through the assembly.

Responding to opposition criticism, the AJK prime minister denied claims that development packages approved by the previous PPP government had been cancelled. He said the cabinet had only decided to review an education package after concerns were raised about some of its provisions.

Gillani assured the opposition that its constitutional and parliamentary role would be respected and that its due share would not be undermined.

Before adjourning the session, Speaker Farooq also congratulated Naqi and expressed hope that his election would contribute to better governance and improved administration in AJK.