PML-N’s Najeeb Naqi Elected As PoJK ‘President’

Islamabad : Najeeb Naqi of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was on Thursday elected as the “President” of Pakistan-occupied Jammu-Kashmir (PoJK).

He secured 32 votes, while his challenger Chaudhry Latif Akbar of Pakistan Peoples Party got 13 votes in the election held at PoJK’s so-called legislative assembly. Only assembly members were eligible to vote.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Naqi on his victory and conveyed his best wishes, according to a statement issued by the PM’s office.

The office of “president” had been vacant since January following the death of Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry.

India has described the recent so-called local body elections in PoJK as a “complete farce,” asserting that such “hollow” exercises cannot hide the ground reality in the region. (Agencies)