MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominee Dr Muhammad Najib Naqi has been elected the 25th President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). He secured 32 votes in the presidential election, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Latif Akbar, who received 13 votes.
Dr Najib Naqi received the support of 31 PML-N members as well as one member of the allied Dast-o-Bazu Party, bringing his total to 32 votes. A candidate needed 27 votes to secure a majority in the presidential election.
Before the election, the PML-N and its allies had a combined strength of 32 members in the AJK Legislative Assembly, while the PPP had 14 members.
Who Is Dr Muhammad Najib Naqi?
Dr Muhammad Najib Naqi hails from Pallandri in Sudhanoti district of the Poonch Division and comes from a politically active family. He has been elected as a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly in different terms and has remained one of the prominent leaders of the PML-N in AJK.
A medical graduate by profession, Dr Naqi has also served in the health sector. He served as AJK’s Health Minister from 2006 to 2011 and also held the health portfolio during the PML-N government from 2016 to 2021.
Family and Educational Background
Dr Najib Naqi belongs to the Sudhan tribe. His family has a longstanding association with politics and public service in AJK. His father, Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, was elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in the 1985 general elections and served as Minister for Health and Food.
His grandfather, Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan, was known as the “Baba-e-Poonch”. He served as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, known as the Praja Sabha, and represented the Sudhanoti-Bagh area. He also played a prominent role during the Kashmir liberation movement.
Dr Muhammad Najib Naqi was born in Rawalpindi on January 19, 1964. He received his early education at Aitchison College in Lahore and graduated with an MBBS degree from King Edward Medical University, Lahore, in 1988. He also had a keen interest in sports, particularly lawn tennis, and represented his educational institution in various competitions.
