The Legislative Assembly of Pakistan-administered Kashmir held voting on Thursday to select a new president, addressing a position that has remained unfilled for approximately eight months beyond the timeframe established by the region’s constitution. Najeeb Naqi Khan, the candidate backed by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, was anticipated to secure the position given his party’s substantial parliamentary advantage.
The PMLN and its coalition partners control 32 of the 46 occupied seats in the 53-member assembly, providing them with five more votes than the 27 required for victory under the interim constitution. The opposition Pakistan People’s Party, which holds 14 seats, fielded Chaudhry Latif Akbar as its candidate. The election was held at the assembly secretariat in Muzaffarabad during a designated three-hour window. The presidency became vacant following the death of Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry in January at age 71; he had been elected in 2021 on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ticket.
The delayed election process has drawn scrutiny from analysts and observers. The region’s constitution mandates that an election be conducted within 30 days of a presidential vacancy, a deadline that was significantly exceeded. A legal petition was filed in late February seeking court directions to hold the election, yet no vote took place until Thursday. Some observers have suggested that political calculations at the federal level may have contributed to the postponement, allowing the PMLN-led government time to consolidate control before installing its preferred candidate.
The presidential election proceeded amid unresolved tensions stemming from months of civil unrest in the region. Seven assembly seats remain vacant because two districts central to protest movements have not yet conducted their legislative elections. The unrest has resulted in significant casualties, with residents and rights organizations estimating more than 50 deaths, though the government has not released a comprehensive figure. Internet services were restricted for an extended period, with broadband restored only in mid-September after nearly 100 days of outages. The underlying grievances include demands to abolish reserved assembly seats designated for Kashmiri refugees residing elsewhere in Pakistan.
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