Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry elected new president of Pakistan-administered Kashmir

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, a candidate of the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was elected as the president of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also known as Azad Kashmir, on Tuesday.

Chaudhry secured 34 votes, defeating Mian Abdul Waheed, a joint candidate of opposition parties -- Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) -- who got 16 votes. Azad Kashmir's legislative assembly has 53 members.

He will succeed Sardar Masood Khan, whose five-year term will end on Aug. 24.

The PTI’s regional president was elected as a lawmaker from Mirpur in the July 25 polls. He was a strong candidate for the premier, but little-known Abdul Qayyum Niazi was chosen for the coveted post. He served as the region's premier from 1996 to 2001.

The PTI emerged as the single largest party in last month's elections with 32 seats, trailed by PPP's 12 and PML-N's seven.