AJK presidential election scheduled for Sept 24
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announces the schedule of the election for the president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir at a press conference in Muzaffarabad on Tuesday. SCREENGRAB
The election for the president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) would be held on September 24, the AJK Election Commission announced on Tuesday, setting in motion the process to elect the constitutional head of AJK for a five-year term.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced the schedule at a press conference in Muzaffarabad, flanked by senior Election Commission members, Khawaja Muhammad Ahsan and Syed Nazir-ul-Hassan Gilani.
Under the schedule, candidates would submit their nomination papers to the chief election commissioner, who would act as the returning officer, between 10am and noon on September 19. Scrutiny of the nomination papers would be conducted the same day at the office of the chief election commissioner.
Candidates could withdraw their nominations by 11:30am on September 23, the chief election commissioner said.
Polling would be held at the AJK Legislative Assembly Secretariat from 10am to 1pm on September 24. The counting of votes would begin immediately after polling, with the result to be announced the same day.
The president would be elected through a majority vote, with members of the AJK Legislative Assembly constituting the electoral college. The successful candidate would serve a five-year term, according to the Election Commission.
Read: PML-N dominates new AJK Assembly as 46 lawmakers take oath
The announcement formally sets the stage for the presidential contest in AJK following the formation of the new government and the election of the new legislative assembly.
On August 24, forty-six newly elected members of the AJK Legislative Assembly took the oath, formally marking the beginning of the new parliamentary term following the 2026 general elections.
Assembly Speaker Latif Akbar administered the oath to the newly elected lawmakers during the inaugural session of the new assembly. The oath-taking ceremony reflected the changed political balance in the 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz emerging as the dominant parliamentary force.