MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Dr Najeeb Naqi was elected the 25th president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday, securing 32 votes in the presidential election. His rival, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar, received 13 votes, while one PPP lawmaker from Mirpur, Qasim Majeed, did not attend the session of the AJK Legislative Assembly. Dr Najeeb Naqi, 62, belongs to a prominent political family of Poonch. His grandfather, Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan, is remembered in AJK’s political history as the “Baba-e-Poonch”, while his father, Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, was also associated with politics. Naqi entered practical politics in the 1990s following the death of his father and was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in the 1991 elections. During his first term, he served as parliamentary secretary for health and planning and development. He was re-elected in 1996 on the Muslim Conference (MC) ticket and later served as a member of the AJK Council from 2001 to 2006. In the 2006 elections, Naqi again won a seat in the Legislative Assembly on the MC ticket and served in the government, holding portfolios including health, population welfare, colleges and information technology. He later joined the PML-N and was elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly on the party ticket in the 2011 elections. He retained his seat in 2016 and served as a minister for several important departments, including health, finance, and planning and development, until 2021. The PML-N central leadership nominated Naqi as its candidate for the AJK presidency earlier this month. With his election, Naqi’s political career spanning more than three decades has culminated in his assumption of the highest constitutional office in AJK. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Naqi on his election and expressed his best wishes to him on assuming the constitutional office. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister said Naqi’s election reflected the confidence placed in him by the people of AJK. Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that Naqi would discharge his constitutional responsibilities effectively and play a constructive role in the development, prosperity and welfare of the people of AJK The prime minister also reiterated the federal government’s commitment to extending full support for the development and prosperity of the people of AJK.
