MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Two candidates from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday submitted their nomination papers for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) presidential election.
According to the regional election commission spokesperson, ruling PML-N’s Dr Najeeb Naqi and PPP’s Chaudhry Latif Akbar submitted their papers to the returning officer, Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, who is also the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
After scrutiny, the Returning Officer declared the nomination papers of both presidential candidates valid, the electoral body said.
Dr Naqi ‘s nomination was proposed by senior PML-N leader and former AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider and seconded by AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani.
President PML-N AJK Shah Ghulam Qadir, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Raza Qadri, government ministers Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, Saqib Majeed Raja, Sardar Umair Naeem, members of the assembly Ms. Noreen Arif, Raja Asif, Chaudhry Ismail, former ministers Aamir Altaf, Farooq Tahir and Tahir Anwar and others were also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, the nomination of the PPP candidate was proposed by MLA and former minister Deevan Ali Khan Chughtai and seconded by fellow legislator Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi.
As per the schedule, the polling for the office of AJK president will be held on September 24, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Assembly Secretariat, followed by the result announcement on the same day. Candidates may withdraw their nomination papers by 11:30 am on Sept 23, the schedule says.
The office of the AJK president has remained vacant following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood in January this year. Following his demise, then-Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar started serving as acting president.
The role was then assumed by incumbent Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq after he was elected speaker on August 25.
As per the interim AJK Constitution, the president is elected by members of the Legislative Assembly by a majority of the total membership.
Earlier on Wednesday, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed that President Nawaz Sharif nominated Dr Najeeb Naqi for the post of president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Naqi, a resident of Sudhanoti district, served as a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly on five occasions.
