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Dr Muhammad Najib Naqi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was elected president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-backed candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar.
Naqi secured 32 votes in the election held at the AJK Legislative Assembly, including 31 votes from PML-N lawmakers and one from a member of the Jammu Kashmir Awami Dost-o-Bazu Party. Latif Akbar received 13 votes.
The presidential post had remained vacant since January following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry.
The AJK Legislative Assembly has 46 members, including 31 from the PML-N and 14 from the PPP, while the speaker holds the remaining seat.
Naqi, a senior PML-N leader, previously served as AJK health minister from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2021. He has also held portfolios including finance, health and planning and development.
He was identified as one of the leading contenders for the presidency earlier this month, with the presidential election scheduled for September.
Naqi has represented the Palandri constituency in the AJK Legislative Assembly and has been associated with the PML-N for years.