Regional Cohesion in AJK: All Three Divisions Represented at the Highest Levels

The three highest constitutional offices in Azad Jammu and Kashmir are now held by individuals from its three divisions, with President Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Naqi representing Poonch, Prime Minister Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani representing Muzaffarabad, and Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq representing Mirpur. Naqi, from Sadhnoti-Palundri, was elected the 25th president with 32 votes against Chaudhry Latif Akbar’s 13, filling the position vacant since Barrister Sultan Mahmood’s death in January and completing the constitutional leadership following the 2026 Assembly elections. A politician with more than three decades of experience, Naqi previously served as health minister from 2006–2011 and 2016–2021 and held education, information technology, finance, and planning and development portfolios. His election was particularly significant for Poonch, where several constituencies could not vote because of security concerns. The presidential election was conducted indirectly by Assembly members, unlike the phased July-August public elections for the 53-seat Assembly; Speaker Farooq announced the result, and Chief Justice Saeed Akram Raja administered Naqi’s oath in a ceremony attended by Gillani, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, and other dignitaries. Gillani, born in Muzaffarabad in 1980, was elected the 17th prime minister on August 28 with 30 votes against PPP candidate Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi’s 14. A SOAS University of London graduate and Lincoln’s Inn barrister called to the Bar in 2005, he entered the Assembly through a 2011 by-election, retained his seat in 2016, served five years as education minister, and returned on August 24 through a technocrat/professional reserved seat before becoming prime minister, with PML-N leadership reaching consensus on his nomination. Farooq, the 16th Speaker, secured 32 votes against PPP’s Chaudhry Qasim Majeed’s 13, won from Bhimber by defeating former AJK prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, and has previously served as senior-most minister, Public Accounts Committee chairman, Deputy Opposition Leader from 2016–2021, and minister several times. Outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Muhammad Latif Akbar administered his oath, after which Farooq administered the oath to Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri.

The three leaders are reported to be friends and colleagues, and their combination of regional representation and substantial previous experience has raised expectations of more collaborative governance, although each is relatively new to the current office. Their appointments occurred amid a difficult political environment: security concerns postponed polling in seven Poonch and Sudhnoti constituencies, leaving 46 of the Assembly’s 53 seats occupied, while the remaining electoral process, political grievances, and institutional normalization still require attention. The new government has also formed an eight-member cabinet comprising seven directly elected and one indirectly elected lawmaker: Raja Saqib Majeed and Dr. Mustafa Bashir Abbasi from Muzaffarabad, Sardar Mir Akbar from Bagh, Raja Riasat and Raja Umair Naeem from Kotli, Waqar Noor from Bhimber, Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq from Mirpur, and Birmingham-based businessman Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Arain from Kotli, who was elected to a reserved seat for Kashmiris abroad. Abbasi, Noor, Akbar, and Sadiq are former ministers, while the others are new to the cabinet; their mix of experience and newcomers and their geographic distribution reinforce broad regional participation. Relations with Islamabad have also been cordial: Gillani met Federal Minister Amir Muqam to discuss development and public welfare, thanked him for his election campaign efforts, and acknowledged his role in PML-N’s victory; Muqam congratulated Gillani and expressed hopes for peace, order, development, and progress, while also expressing confidence in Naqi’s constitutional performance and contribution to democratic values and public welfare. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif likewise congratulated Naqi and wished him success. Such federal and provincial support indicates cooperation between AJK’s new leadership and authorities in Islamabad and Punjab, with potential implications for development funding and administrative support, while the immediate institutional priority remains completing the electoral process and addressing political issues through constitutional and democratic mechanisms.

The political dynamics within the AJK Legislative Assembly provide important context for understanding the significance of this new leadership configuration. In the direct elections to 38 constituencies, the PML-N secured 25 seats while the PPP won 12, and the lone MLA-elect of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party also joined hands with the PML-N . The 46-member AJK Assembly currently has 31 PML-N lawmakers, excluding Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, while the PPP has 14 members . This comfortable majority has allowed the PML-N to elect its candidates to all three top positions without the need for complex coalition negotiations, which has contributed to the relative smoothness of the government formation process. However, it is worth noting that the previous PPP government had kept its cabinet to 20 members under an understanding reached with the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee, and the size of the cabinet has traditionally been a politically sensitive issue in AJK . The 13th Amendment to the AJK Constitution, passed in 2018, had restricted the cabinet to 30 percent of the assembly’s total strength, equivalent to 16 ministers, though this restriction was subsequently removed in June 2023 . The fact that the new cabinet has been kept to eight members suggests a commitment to fiscal responsibility and efficient governance that aligns with the optimistic expectations of the populace.

The election of Dr. Najeeb Naqi as President is particularly significant given the context of the presidential office having remained vacant since January following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood, with successive assembly speakers performing the president’s duties in an acting capacity . The regional constitution requires the president to be elected by a majority of the assembly’s total membership, and presidential vote took place before the completion of the separate legislative assembly election, with seven of the assembly’s 45 directly elected constituencies still unfilled . Prime Minister Gillani acknowledged this incomplete state of affairs in his remarks to the assembly, stating that it was regrettable that elections were not held in seven constituencies of Poonch and adding that his government was trying to complete the electoral process there soon, though no new polling date has been announced . The JAAC, which initially rose to prominence over electricity prices and subsidized flour, had more recently focused its campaign on 12 legislative constituencies representing refugees from Indian-occupied Kashmir who live elsewhere in Pakistan, arguing that these seats give Pakistan-based political parties disproportionate influence over the formation of governments in Azad Kashmir . The region’s Supreme Court ruled in June that the seats were constitutionally protected and could only be abolished through a constitutional amendment, and the violence prompted authorities to divide the legislative assembly election into phases and postpone voting in the seven constituencies . These unresolved issues represent challenges that the new leadership will need to address as it seeks to consolidate its mandate and deliver on the promise of prosperity and betterment for all the people of AJK.

The fact that the three highest offices are now held by individuals from Poonch, Muzaffarabad, and Mirpur divisions respectively is a development that resonates deeply in a region where geographic and political identities have often been sources of tension. Dr. Naqi’s election to the presidency brings a measure of representation and recognition to Poonch Division, which has historically felt marginalized in the political calculus of Muzaffarabad. Prime Minister Gillani’s roots in Muzaffarabad Division, the seat of the capital, ensure that the administrative heart of the region is directly connected to the highest executive office. Speaker Farooq’s election from Mirpur Division, which has its own distinct demographic and economic characteristics, ensures that the legislative agenda is guided by someone with an intimate understanding of the concerns of that important region. Together, these three leaders embody a geographically balanced leadership that is well-positioned to address the diverse needs and aspirations of all the divisions that make up Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The personal friendships among the three leaders could prove to be a valuable asset in navigating the inevitable challenges of governance. Political alliances built on genuine personal respect and shared vision tend to be more durable than those based solely on transactional calculations, and the fact that these three individuals are also deep friends suggests a level of trust and mutual understanding that can facilitate smoother coordination between the presidency, the prime minister’s office, and the assembly speaker’s office. Their relative newness to their current positions, while potentially a source of concern for those who value experience above all else, can also be an advantage in that they are less encumbered by the entrenched patterns of the past and more open to innovative approaches to governance. The description of them as not being from traditional cult politics is particularly telling in a region where personality-driven political movements have often overshadowed institutional development. If these three leaders can succeed in establishing a more institutionalized and collaborative form of governance, they will have made a lasting contribution to the political maturity of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The warm reception that the new leadership has received from the people of AJK reflects a widespread desire for stability and effective governance after a period of political uncertainty and electoral challenges. The completion of the constitutional leadership structure with the president, prime minister, and speaker now in place has moved AJK into a new phase of parliamentary governance, and for a region that has experienced its share of political turbulence, this is a welcome development . The hope that the new government team will work more efficiently toward prosperity and betterment is not merely a platitude but a genuine expectation based on the qualities and backgrounds of the individuals who have been entrusted with these high offices. Dr. Naqi’s decades of public service, Gillani’s legal training and ministerial experience, and Farooq’s extensive parliamentary career all provide grounds for cautious optimism that the new leadership is equipped to address the pressing issues facing the region.

As the new government settles into office, the eyes of the people of AJK will be watching closely to see whether the promise of regional cohesion translates into tangible improvements in their daily lives. The challenges are substantial, including the completion of the electoral process in the remaining constituencies, the addressing of the grievances that led to the postponement of voting in Poonch and Sudhnoti, the management of the relationship with the federal government in a way that maximizes benefits for the region, and the delivery of basic services and economic opportunities to a population that has high expectations. But if the new leadership can build on the foundation of regional cohesion that their tripartite representation represents, and if they can govern with the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that their personal friendships suggest, then there is reason to believe that the coming years could mark a new chapter of progress and stability for Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The message that this sends to the rest of Pakistan is one of hope and possibility, that diverse regions can come together in shared purpose and that leadership can be both representative and effective. In a country that often struggles with regional tensions and political fragmentation, the example set by AJK’s new leadership team is one that deserves attention and emulation.