MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Dr. Najeeb Naqi has been elected as the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after securing 32 votes in the presidential election.
The election was held at the AJK Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, where members cast their votes to elect the new head of state.
Dr Najeeb Naqi has emerged as the leading candidate for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Who is Dr. Najeeb Naqi
Born on January 19, 1964, Dr Najeeb belongs to a prominent political, social and educational family of Poonch. He studied at Aitchison College before graduating in medicine from King Edward Medical College, Lahore.
He was completing his house job at Mayo Hospital when his father, retired Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, died in a road accident while campaigning for the 1990 AJK elections.
Following the family tragedy, Dr Najeeb entered politics at the age of 26. He initially contested the 1990 election on a Muslim Conference ticket but lost. After the assembly was dissolved, he contested again and won, beginning a parliamentary career that would span over 30 years.
He served as parliamentary secretary for health and planning and development from 1991 to 1996. Over subsequent years, he held important portfolios including health, population welfare, education, information technology, finance, and planning and development.
Dr Najeeb was elected to the AJK Assembly several times, including on a PML-N ticket in 2011, and returned for another term in 2016. He lost the 2021 election but was preparing for a political comeback in the 2026 polls when elections in several constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti were postponed because of the law-and-order situation.
Political Legacy of Poonch Family
Dr Najeeb comes from a family with a long tradition of public service. His grandfather, Col Khan Muhammad Khan, popularly known as Khan Sahib and Baba-e-Poonch, was a soldier, politician, educationist and social reformer.
Khan Muhammad Khan founded the Sudhan Educational Conference in 1934 and introduced the Muthi Bhar Atta scheme, under which households contributed flour to support educational activities. He also served in the Praja Sabha and played a prominent role during the 1947 Kashmir conflict.
Dr Najeeb’s father, Col Naqi Khan, also entered politics after serving in the army and held the portfolios of health and food in the AJK government.
With Dr Najeeb’s election as president, the family’s longstanding association with politics, education and public service has entered a new chapter, while his elevation also gives Poonch division representation in one of AJK’s highest constitutional offices.
