MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his capacity as the chairman of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council, on Wednesday advised the AJK president to appoint retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal as the region’s chief election commissioner (CEC) for a five-year term.

The office of the CEC has remained vacant since Jan 13 last year following completion of the term of the previous incumbent, retired Justice Abdul Rashid Sulehria.

Justice Mughal, who is over 70, had held this office in the past as well. In February 2016, when he was the chief justice of the AJK High Court, he was given additional responsibility of the CEC for a three-year term.

He was elevated to the AJK SC in April 2017, from where he retired in December 2020.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026