MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif has nominated Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan as the party’s candidate for president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Wednesday.
Aurangzeb said in a post on X that Nawaz had directed Dr Naqi to submit his nomination papers for the presidential election. She congratulated him on the nomination on behalf of the party leadership and expressed her best wishes.
The election for the AJK presidency is scheduled for Sept. 24, according to the AJK Election Commission. Candidates will file their nomination papers on Sept. 19 between 10 a.m. and noon, with scrutiny to be conducted the same day.
Candidates can withdraw their nomination papers by 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 23. Polling will be held at the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 24, followed by counting and announcement of the result the same day.
The office of the AJK president has remained vacant since January following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood. Then-Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar served as acting president before incumbent Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq assumed the role after his election as speaker on Aug. 25.
Dr Naqi has previously served as an AJK minister and has held portfolios including health, education, information technology, finance and planning and development. He has also represented the Sudhanoti-Poonch constituency in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
