PML-N Nominates Dr Najeeb Naqi Khan for AJK President

MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has nominated Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan for the post of president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), with the party leadership directing him to submit his nomination papers.

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced the decision on social media, saying Nawaz Sharif had nominated Dr Najeeb Naqi for the constitutional office and instructed him to file his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential election.

She congratulated Dr Najeeb Naqi on the nomination on behalf of the PML-N leadership and party workers.

The AJK Election Commission has scheduled the presidential election for September 24, 2026.

Candidates are scheduled to submit nomination papers on September 19, while scrutiny will be conducted the same day. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 23, with polling scheduled to take place at the AJK Assembly Secretariat on September 24.

The AJK Legislative Assembly has 46 members, and the PML-N currently holds a majority in the house, according to Dawn.

Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan is a senior PML-N politician from Sudhnoti district of AJK and has previously served as a health and finance minister in the region.

His nomination follows internal consultations within the PML-N leadership over the party’s candidate for the vacant presidential office.

The office has remained vacant since the death of former AJK president Barrister Sultan Mahmood in January. AJK Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq is currently serving as acting president.