Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan, the PML-N’s nominee for president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), formally submitted his nomination papers on Saturday — setting up the September 24 presidential election that will fill a post that’s sat vacant since January.
How the Nomination Was Filed
Dr Naqi submitted his papers at the office of Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, who is also serving as Returning Officer for the presidential election. He was accompanied by a notable lineup of party figures: PML-N AJK president Shah Ghulam Qadir, AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani, former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, and Minister and Legislative Assembly member Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, among other Assembly members. Nomination papers were filed between 10am and noon on September 19, with scrutiny taking place the same day at the Returning Officer’s office.
Who Dr Najeeb Naqi Khan Is
Dr Naqi is a five-time member of the AJK Legislative Assembly, representing the Sudhanoti-Palundri constituency in the Poonch Division. Born in Rawalpindi on January 19, 1964, he was educated at Aitchison College before completing his MBBS at King Edward Medical College in Lahore. Politics runs in the family — his father, Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, previously served as AJK’s minister for health and food and was himself a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Over his political career, Dr Naqi has held a wide range of government portfolios, including health, education, information technology, finance, and planning and development. He served as AJK minister for health and finance between 2016 and 2021, chaired the AJK Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health, and previously served as vice-president of PML-N AJK. In the 2026 AJK general election, he was re-elected from LA-21 on a PML-N ticket.
Why the Presidency Has Been Vacant
The office of AJK president has remained vacant since January 2026, following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood, with assembly speakers serving in an acting capacity in the interim. Filling the post now completes the formal process of constituting AJK’s principal constitutional offices following this year’s general elections.
The Road to This Nomination
The AJK general elections were held in three phases between July 27 and August 10, 2026. Of the 45 directly contested constituencies, polling took place in 38, with PML-N securing 25 seats and the PPP winning 12; the lone Awami Dast-o-Bazu MLA subsequently aligned with PML-N. The party further strengthened its position by winning six of the eight reserved seats — three women’s seats, plus seats reserved for Ulema and Mashaikh, overseas Kashmiris, and a technocrat — while the PPP took the remaining two women’s reserved seats.
With a clear majority secured, PML-N moved quickly to fill AJK’s top offices. Barrister Iftikhar Gilani was nominated as the party’s candidate for prime minister, defeating PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi 30 votes to 14, and was sworn in as AJK’s 17th prime minister on August 28. PPP leader Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin was appointed Leader of the Opposition around the same time. The presidential nomination follows directly from that same process, with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif personally nominating Dr Naqi and directing him to file his papers.
Election Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September 15, 2026 | Election Commission announces the presidential election schedule |
| September 19, 2026 (10am–noon) | Nomination papers filed and scrutinized |
| September 23, 2026 (by 11:30am) | Deadline for candidates to withdraw nominations |
| September 24, 2026 (10am–1pm) | Polling at the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat, Muzaffarabad; counting begins immediately after |
The AJK Legislative Assembly serves as the electoral college for the presidential election, meaning the outcome is effectively determined by the same assembly composition that already delivered PML-N’s prime ministerial win — a strong indicator, though not a certainty, of how the presidential vote is likely to go given the party’s current majority.
Final Thoughts
With nomination papers filed and scrutinized, and PML-N holding a clear Assembly majority following this year’s elections, Dr Najeeb Naqi Khan’s path to the AJK presidency looks comparatively smooth barring any late withdrawal complications before the September 23 deadline. His formal election on September 24 would complete the full slate of AJK’s constitutional offices for this electoral cycle — president, prime minister, speaker, and deputy speaker — closing out a process that began with July’s general elections.
