MUZAFFARABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday submitted nomination papers for their candidates for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) presidential election, scheduled for September 24.
The PML-N has nominated former minister Dr Najeeb Naqi, 62, while the PPP has fielded 78-year-old Akbar for the constitutional post.
The AJK president’s office has remained vacant since January following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood. Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq has been serving as acting president since being elected speaker on August 25.
Under the AJK Constitution, the president is elected by members of the Legislative Assembly through a majority of the total membership.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, who is also the returning officer, received the nomination papers from both candidates. The papers were later declared valid after scrutiny.
Naqi’s nomination was proposed by former AJK prime minister and senior PML-N leader Raja Farooq Haider and seconded by AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani.
Akbar’s nomination was proposed by former minister Deevan Ali Khan Chughtai and seconded by legislator Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi.
Both candidates were accompanied by party lawmakers when they submitted their papers at the Election Commission office.
Candidates can withdraw their nominations until 11:30am on September 23. Polling will take place at the AJK Assembly Secretariat from 10am to 1pm on September 24, with counting and the announcement of results scheduled for the same day.
The presidential election follows the recent AJK Legislative Assembly elections, which were held in three phases because of security concerns.
In direct elections to 38 constituencies, the PML-N won 25 seats and the PPP secured 12. The sole elected member of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party later joined the PML-N.
The PPP has alleged widespread irregularities in the elections and has continued to criticise the PML-N-led government.
The PML-N also won five of seven reserved seats in the assembly on August 24, while the PPP secured two. The newly elected assembly members were sworn in the same day.