The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry passed away on Saturday in a private hospital of the Federal Capital, Islamabad. He was a veteran politician who played an active role in Kashmir’s politics for over three and a half decades.
Hailing from a prominent political family, Barrister Sultan Mahmood was the son of Chaudhry Noor Hussain, a notable Kashmiri leader who had founded the Azad Muslim Conference after separating from the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference.
Following his return from the UK, where he earned a Bar-at-Law degree, Sultan Mahmood took over the leadership of his father’s party in the 1980s and began a long and influential political career.
He was first elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 1985 and went on to win eight elections in total. During his career, he served as Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and ultimately as President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood’s political journey saw multiple alliances and party changes. After merging the Azad Muslim Conference with the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League, he later joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and became its President in Azad Kashmir.
In 1996, following PPP’s victory in the general elections, he was elected prime minister of AJK. He continued in office even after 1999 during the tenure of late General Pervez Musharraf.
Differences with PPP leadership, particularly with Benazir Bhutto, led him to form a new political party, the People’s Muslim League, in 2006. Although the party won only four seats in that year’s elections, it played a key role in shaping the political landscape of the region.
The People’s Muslim League did not last long, and just five years later, before the 2011 elections, Barrister Sultan once again merged his party with the People’s Party. However, he was unable to secure either the party presidency or the post of Prime Minister after winning the elections.
Two months after the formation of ex-prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan in 2013, Barrister Sultan formed a forward bloc of his supporters within the Peoples Party and submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed.
However, Nawaz Sharif prevented the Muslim League (N) from supporting the motion, causing it to fail, and Barrister Sultan had to leave the People’s Party for the second time.
After leaving the Peoples Party, he attempted once again to align with Mian Nawaz Sharif, but after receiving no positive response, he joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2015 and was elected the party’s president in Azad Kashmir.
In the 2016 elections, under his leadership, PTI suffered a defeat, and Barrister Sultan himself lost from his native seat.
However, in the general elections held on July 25, 2021, PTI, under Barrister Sultan Mahmood’s leadership, achieved a clear victory, and he won an assembly seat for the eighth time overall.
In the 2021 general elections, Barrister Sultan Mahmood led the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to a clear victory and won his assembly seat for the eighth time. In 2025, amid political shifts, Barrister Sultan’s group joined the Pakistan People’s Party again during the no-confidence motion against ex-AJK prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry’s death marks the end of an era in Azad Kashmir politics. His contributions to the political landscape of the region and his decades-long service will be remembered by colleagues and citizens alike.
Read more: Azad Kashmir President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry passed away
