The parliamentary party of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Azad Kashmir, will meet today (Wednesday) to discuss the candidate for the Azad Kashmir president and other issues, sources said.

The meeting, convened by President Asif Ali Zardari, will take place at the President’s House.

The office of Azad Kashmir’s president became vacant following the death of President Barrister Sultan Mehmood, who passed away recently.

Currently, Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar is serving as acting president.

Barrister Sultan Mehmood was affiliated with the PPP, and the party currently governs Azad Kashmir, where it enjoys a simple majority in the assembly.

According to Azad Kashmir’s constitution, a simple majority of legislators — 27 votes — is required to elect the president.

The PPP maintains that it has the required support in the House and is in a position to elect its candidate.

The PPP’s potential presidential candidates include Chaudhry Rasheed, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Chaudhry Yaseen, Sardar Yaqoob Khan, and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan.

Meanwhile, several other political and non-political groups have also started lobbying for the position, including former Azad Kashmir president Sardar Masood, Muslim Conference chief Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan, former Azad Kashmir prime minister and PML-N vice-president Raja Farooq Haider, among others.

As part of political consultations, President Zardari met Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Tuesday night to discuss initial options for the new president.

The issue has gained prominence after the PPP recently formed its government in Azad Kashmir.

The PPP managed to get its candidate Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore elected as prime minister with the support of the PML-N.

However, the PML-N did not formally join the government.

On the other hand, senior PML-N leader and former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider has rejected the PPP’s claim of majority in the assembly.

He stated that the PPP does not hold a simple majority and that the PML-N will actively participate in the presidential election.

Raja Farooq Haider suggested the current assembly may choose not to elect a new president, leaving the matter for the next legislative term.

He also noted that even if the PPP succeeds in electing a president now, the incumbent could be removed in the future if the government changes.

Constitutionally, the Azad Kashmir Election Commission is required to hold a presidential election within 30 days of the president’s passing.

However, the post of Chief Election Commissioner is currently vacant.

The Azad Kashmir prime minister and the opposition leader have sent a three-member panel to the Prime Minister of Pakistan for approval as the CEC appointment, but no decision has yet been made.

The sources suggest the PML-N may seek to delay the presidential election in the current assembly, citing the vacant post of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Constitutionally, the appointment of the CEC falls under the authority of the chairman of the Kashmir Council, i.e., the prime minister of Pakistan.