Dr Najeeb Naqi sworn in as AJK President

Dr Najeeb Naqi was elected the 23th president of AJK after securing 32 votes in the presidential election held earlier in the day at the AJK Legislative Assembly. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar received 13 votes, while one assembly member remained absent.

The presidential election was held to fill the office that had remained vacant since January following the death of former AJK president Barrister Sultan Mahmood. Dr Naqi's election came after polling was conducted at the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat from 10am to 1pm, followed by counting and announcement of the result.

Under the AJK Constitution, the president is elected by members of the Legislative Assembly by a majority of the total membership. The current assembly has 46 occupied seats as elections in seven constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti have not yet been held due to law and order concerns.

Dr Najeeb Naqi, who belongs to Sudhnoti district, has previously served as AJK health minister and also held the portfolios of education and information technology. Following his election, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Dr Naqi and expressed the hope that he would effectively discharge his constitutional responsibilities and contribute to the development and welfare of the people of AJK.