Ex-diplomat Masood Khan new AJK president

Masood has thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for nominating him as the president.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muslim Conference had boycotted the presidential elections.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan made a farewell call on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at PM House on Tuesday.

A tough competition was expected between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Muhammad Masood Khan and Chaudhry Latif Akbar from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Masood Khan enjoys the confidence of AJK Assembly and AJK Council and in fact a wide political spectrum of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.

Masood Khan has worked with the United Nations in NY and Geneva and other multilateral forums, for more than twenty years.

The 49-members of the AJK Legislative Assembly and the seven members of Kashmir Council, along with Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Barjees Tahir make up the Electoral College to elect the AJK president.

Masood Khan was born in Rawalakot, Poonch and studied there. In a message, the chief minister expressed good wishes for the newly-elected President of Azad Kashmir and expressed the hope that he would utilise all his abilities for the progress and prosperity of people of Azad Kashmir. He joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and went on to serve in various diplomatic positions including Beijing (China), The Hague (Netherlands), New York and Washington D.C.