Dr Najeeb Naqi elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

24 September 2026

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elected Dr Najeeb Naqi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He polled 32 votes against 13 for the Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar. Forty-five of the 46 sitting members voted; one was absent. Under the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Constitution the President is elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly, and the winner needs a majority of the house's total strength of 53. The office had been vacant since January 2026 after the death of the previous President. Naqi took the oath the same day, administered by the Chief Justice of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court, Raja Saeed Akram Khan. Seats in several constituencies are still unfilled, which is why only 46 members were sitting.