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Ex Azad Kashmir president Raja Zulqarnain Khan dies

Published : Monday, 9 November, 2026 at 9:46 AM

Observer Online Report

Former president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Raja Muhammad Zulqarnain Khan has died at the age of 93 after a brief illness, according to family sources.

He died at a hospital in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Saturday (November 7) while undergoing treatment. The news was reported by Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government declared a one-day state mourning on Sunday (November 8) following his death. As part of the mourning, national flags were flown at half-mast at all government buildings. He was buried with state honours in his hometown of Kasguma in Bhimber district. His funeral prayer was held at 11AM on Sunday, followed by the burial.

Born on March 15, 1933, Raja Zulqarnain Khan came from a family with a strong political and administrative background. His father, Khan Bahadur Raja Muhammad Afzal Khan, was an Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer during British rule and also served in the administration of Maharaja Hari Singh.

Zulqarnain Khan began his education in Srinagar and Delhi. At the age of 13, he enrolled at Lawrence College. He later graduated from Government College Lahore in 1955. After completing his studies, he entered the construction business in 1958 by establishing a company named United Builders in Karachi. The company subsequently implemented various projects in Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

Alongside his business activities, he entered politics in the early 1960s. In 1960-61, he began his political career as a close associate of former AJK president KH Khurshid, who had served as the private secretary to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

After entering politics, Zulqarnain Khan was elected chairman of the Kasguma Union Council in his constituency in the first election held under the Basic Democracies system introduced by former Pakistani president Ayub Khan.

In 1962, when KH Khurshid founded the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League, Zulqarnain Khan was appointed its founding general secretary.

Ahead of Azad Kashmir's first general election under the parliamentary system in 1975, he joined the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly from the Samahni constituency.

A decade later, he won the 1985 election from Bhimber as a candidate of the Muslim Conference. He subsequently served for five consecutive years in the cabinet of Sardar Sikandar Hayat.

Although he lost the 1990 election to PPP candidate Chaudhry Sohbat Ali, he returned to the Legislative Assembly the following year. He later served for five years in the cabinet of Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan. In 1996, he was elected a member of the Azad Kashmir Council.

A significant chapter in Raja Zulqarnain Khan's political career began in August 2006, when the Muslim Conference elected him president of Azad Kashmir. He held the office until August 2011.

Even after stepping down as president, he remained active in regional politics. He opposed Chaudhry Tariq Farooq in the 2011 and 2016 elections. However, during the 2021 election, he supported Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who won for the second time. Their political relationship later deteriorated, leaving Zulqarnain Khan dissatisfied.

In April this year, a delegation from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) visited him and invited him to join the party. The following month, his son Babar Ali Zulqarnain announced his father's decision to join the PML-N at a public rally in Bhimber. Raja Zulqarnain Khan was subsequently appointed a vice-president of the party.

Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq expressed deep sorrow over his death. In a condolence message, he said Zulqarnain Khan's death was a major loss for the political, parliamentary and social spheres of Jammu and Kashmir.

Former Azad Kashmir prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas also expressed deep sorrow and extended his condolences over the death of the veteran politician.

Source: Dawn

-MT