A PML-N nominee and veteran politician, Dr. Najib Naqi secured 32 votes in the legislative assembly, capping a three-decade political career that began following a family tragedy in 1990.
Dr. Muhammad Najib Naqi has been elected as the 25th president of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, securing 32 votes in the legislative assembly and capping a political career spanning over three decades.
The presidential election took place during a session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, with the election commission secretary overseeing the polling process. Voting began at 10:00 a.m. and concluded at 1:00 p.m., followed by the counting of votes.
Dr. Najib Naqi, the candidate fielded by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), surpassed the 27 votes required to secure a majority in the 53-member house. His opponent, Chaudhry Latif Akbar of the Pakistan Peoples Party, received 13 votes.
The presidential office had remained vacant following the passing of former president Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry in January. Following the announcement of the results, members of the assembly offered their felicitations to the newly elected president.
Dr. Najib Naqi’s entry into politics followed a personal tragedy in 1990, when his father, retired Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, passed away in a road accident during an election campaign. Prior to the incident, Dr. Najib Naqi was pursuing a career in medicine, having studied at Aitchison College in Lahore and King Edward Medical College. Following his father’s sudden death, he transitioned into public life and was first elected to the Kashmir legislative assembly in 1991.
Over the past 35 years, Dr. Najib Naqi has been elected as a member of the legislative assembly five times and once to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council. Throughout his parliamentary career, he has served as a parliamentary secretary and held multiple ministerial portfolios, including health, finance, planning and development, higher education, population welfare, and information technology.
Although he faced a defeat in his constituency during the 2021 elections—and elections have yet to be held in seven constituencies across Poonch, including his own—the PML-N leadership nominated him for the presidency.
Dr. Najib Naqi hails from a prominent political family with roots in Poonch and Sudhanoti. His grandfather, Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan—referred to by supporters as “Baba-e-Poonch”—served as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Praja Sabha between 1934 and 1936. In 1934, he established the Sudhan Educational Conference, funding educational resources for students through a community-based flour collection initiative. Political observers note he also played a formative role in encouraging Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan to enter public life.
Following Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan, his son, retired Colonel Muhammad Naqi Khan, continued the family’s political legacy and served as a minister in the region. Additionally, Dr. Najib Naqi’s extended family maintains ties to national politics in Pakistan; his father-in-law, Khan Ghulam Dastagir Khan, and brother-in-law, Khurram Dastagir Khan, have both served as federal ministers in Islamabad.
Following his nomination by the PML-N and subsequent majority vote in the assembly, Dr. Najib Naqi has assumed the region’s highest constitutional office.