MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 15 (SCN News) — Azad Jammu and Kashmir will hold its presidential election on September 24, setting the stage for the completion of another key constitutional transition after elections brought the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to power in the region.
The AJK Election Commission has announced the schedule for the vote, with polling due to take place at the Legislative Assembly Secretariat in Muzaffarabad from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal will act as the returning officer for the election, according to the announced programme.
Candidates will be able to submit nomination papers between 10 a.m. and noon on September 19, followed by scrutiny the same day. Candidates will have until 11:30 a.m. on September 23 to withdraw, clearing the way for voting the following day.
The election comes after the death of former president Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry left the office under acting arrangements and at a time when AJK has undergone a broader political transition following its 2026 general elections.
The PML-N enters the presidential process from a position of considerable parliamentary strength. The party won 25 of the 38 directly contested constituencies in elections held in phases between July 27 and August 10, while the Pakistan Peoples Party won 12. The sole Awami Dast-o-Bazu lawmaker subsequently aligned with the PML-N.
The PML-N further strengthened its position by winning six of the eight reserved seats, giving the party a commanding presence in the new Legislative Assembly. That arithmetic leaves the governing party strongly placed in the presidential contest and shifts political attention towards its choice of candidate rather than the basic balance of votes in the house.
The party has already consolidated control over the government. Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani was elected AJK's 17th prime minister in late August after securing 30 votes against 14 for the PPP candidate, and an eight-member cabinet was sworn in on September 4.
Attention is now turning to the PML-N's presidential nomination. Dr Najib Naqi and PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir have emerged in recent reporting as leading contenders, although no final nominee had been formally confirmed in the reports reviewed by SCN. The final choice is expected to be made by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.
The uncertainty over the nomination is significant because the PML-N changed its choice during the recent contest for prime minister. Shah Ghulam Qadir was initially nominated for that office before the party leadership subsequently selected Gillani, who went on to win the Assembly vote. That episode suggests reports about individual presidential contenders should be treated cautiously until the party formally announces its candidate.
The September 24 election will therefore mark another important stage in establishing the post-election political order in AJK. With the government, Assembly leadership and cabinet now in place, the presidency remains one of the final major constitutional offices to be settled following the 2026 polls.
For the PPP, which forms the principal opposition in the new Assembly, the presidential vote will also provide an early test of its strategy against a PML-N administration holding a substantial legislative advantage. The decisive development before polling is likely to come on or before the September 19 nomination deadline, when the identity of the governing party's candidate becomes clear.