AJK’s Acting President Latif Akbar vows legal fight after ‘unconstitutional’ rejection of poll bid

Acting Azad Jammu and Kashmir President and Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar on Wednesday denounced the rejection of his nomination papers for LA-31 Muzaffarabad-V as “baseless, unconstitutional and mala fide,” vowing to challenge the decision before the AJK Election Commission

MIRPUR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jun, 2026) Acting Azad Jammu and Kashmir President and Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar on Wednesday denounced the rejection of his nomination papers for LA-31 Muzaffarabad-V as “baseless, unconstitutional and mala fide,” vowing to challenge the decision before the AJK Election Commission.

In a strongly worded statement, Akbar accused the Returning Officer of misinterpreting constitutional provisions, arguing that the roles of an elected President and an Acting President are governed by separate articles and cannot be equated. He stressed that while an elected President is chosen by the Assembly under Article 5 and takes an oath, an Acting President assumes charge under Article 9 without a separate oath and continues to serve as Speaker and Assembly member.

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“The Speaker automatically becomes Acting President when the office falls vacant. An elected President cannot be an Assembly member, but an Acting President remains both Speaker and legislator,” Akbar said. He asserted that neither the Constitution nor the Election Act bars an Acting President from contesting polls, calling the RO’s ruling “illegal, unconstitutional and unsustainable in law.”

Expressing confidence in the appellate forum, Akbar confirmed he will file an appeal and expects his nomination papers to be restored, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal showdown ahead of the July 27 AJK elections.

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