rki.news
Altaf Hamid Rao
MUZAFFARABAD, Sept. 24 — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominee Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan was elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday, securing 32 votes in the presidential election.
His rival, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar, received 13 votes. A total of 45 of the 46 sitting members of the AJK Legislative Assembly participated in the election, while one member was absent.
The election was held during a special session of the Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, with Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq presiding. Dr Najeeb Naqi was later sworn in as President at the President’s House, with the oath administered by the AJK Chief Justice.
Dr Najeeb Naqi succeeds Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, whose tenure ended in January 2026. Chaudhry Latif Akbar and later Chaudhry Tariq Farooq had performed the presidential responsibilities in an acting capacity.
The new president, born in Rawalpindi on January 19, 1964, comes from a prominent political, social and educational family of Poonch. His grandfather, Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan, was a prominent political leader, educationist and social reformer remembered as Baba-e-Poonch. His father, Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, served in the Pakistan Army before entering AJK politics and later became Minister for Health and Food.
Dr Najeeb Naqi received his early education at Aitchison College in Lahore and earned his MBBS degree from King Edward Medical College. He entered practical politics following the death of his father in a road accident in 1990.
He was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 1991 and served as Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Planning and Development. He was re-elected in 1996 and later served as a member of the AJK Council from 2001 to 2006.
Returning to the Legislative Assembly in 2006, he served as Minister for Health and Population Welfare and later held portfolios including Information Technology and Education. He was elected again in 2011 and remained an opposition member until 2016.
In the 2016 elections, Dr Najeeb Naqi secured another assembly term and served in the PML-N government with portfolios including Health, Finance, and Planning and Development. His political career has covered more than three decades, including five terms as an elected member of the AJK Legislative Assembly, membership of the AJK Council and several ministerial responsibilities.
His election came as the AJK presidency had remained vacant since January. Elections to seven constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti were also postponed because of the law and order situation, leaving the current assembly with 46 members.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Dr Najeeb Naqi on his election and expressed hope that he would contribute to the development, prosperity and welfare of the people of AJK.
Dr Najeeb Naqi said after his election that Poonch was facing difficult circumstances and expressed hope that the region would overcome its challenges and return to the path of development. He also said he would make every effort to meet the expectations of the people of AJK.
