PML-N’s Najeeb Naqi takes oath as 23rd president of AJK
Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday took the oath as the 23rd President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) at a ceremony held at the President House in Muzaffarabad.
The AJK Supreme Court Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan administered the oath to the newly elected president.
AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani, PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, AJK High Court Chief Justice Justice Sardar Liaqat Hussain, former prime ministers Raja Farooq Haider Khan and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, former federal minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, members of the AJK Cabinet and Legislative Assembly, Chief Secretary Khushhal Khan, Inspector General of Police, senior government officials and other prominent people attended the ceremony.
At the outset, Chief Secretary Khushhal Khan read out the notification declaring Dr Najeeb Naqi as the newly elected president. The oath was then administered by the AJK Supreme Court chief justice.
Following the oath-taking ceremony, a police contingent presented President Najeeb Naqi with a guard of honour.
Read: AJK’s electoral road ends with new PM
Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) was elected AJK president after securing 32 votes, while Chaudhry Latif Akbar of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) received only 13 votes.
Reportedly, one PPP lawmaker from Mirpur, Qasim Majeed, did not attend the Assembly session.
President Khan’s political career, which began in Sudhnoti in Poonch division more than three decades ago, has taken him from the Legislative Assembly to the Kashmir Council and several key ministerial portfolios. The 62-year-old leader comes from a prominent political family. 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 a politician.
Following his father’s death, Naqi entered politics in the 1990s and was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in the 1991 elections. During that term, he served as parliamentary secretary for health and planning and development.
He was re-elected to the assembly in 1996 on the Muslim Conference (MC) ticket and subsequently served as a member of the AJK Council from 2001 to 2006.
In the 2006 elections, he again won an assembly seat on the MC ticket and served in the government, holding portfolios including health, population welfare, colleges and information technology.
Read More: PML-N nominee Najeeb Naqi Khan submits papers for AJK president
Naqi 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 key departments, including health, finance and planning and development, until 2021. The PML-N’s central leadership nominated him this month as its candidate for the AJK presidency.
His political career has thus spanned multiple roles as an elected legislator, parliamentary secretary, Kashmir Council member and cabinet minister, culminating in his election as president for the AJK’s highest constitutional office.
مسلم لیگ ن کے ڈاکٹر محمد نجیب نقی خان آزادجموں و کشمیر کے نئے صدر منتخب۔ ڈاکٹر محمد نجیب نقی خان نے 32 ووٹ حاصل کئے، انکے مد مقابل پیپلز پارٹی کے چوہدری لطیف اکبر 13 ووٹ لے سکے۔ ایوان میں مسلم لیگ ن 32 نشستوں کے ساتھ اکثریتی جماعت جبکہ پیپلز پارٹی کی نشستوں کی تعداد 14 ہے۔ وزیر… pic.twitter.com/s2xbJbcwYE
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) September 24, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Naqi, expressing his best wishes to him on assuming the constitutional office.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz said Naqi’s election was a reflection of the confidence placed in him by the people of AJK.
The prime minister expressed hope that Naqi would discharge his responsibilities effectively and play a constructive role in the development, prosperity and welfare of the people of Kashmir. He also reiterated the federal government’s commitment to providing full support for the development and prosperity of the people of AJK.Read More