Former AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Dies at 93
MUZAFFARABAD: Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) president Raja Mohammad Zulqarnain Khan died at a hospital in Islamabad on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 93.
Official Mourning and Funeral
The AJK government announced a day of official mourning on Sunday. The state’s flag would fly at half-mast. The government also ordered his burial with full state honours in his native town of Kasguma, Bhimber district. Funeral prayers were held at 11am on Sunday.
Early Life and Education
Raja Zulqarnain was born on March 15, 1933. His father was Khan Bahadur Raja Mohammad Afzal Khan, an ICS officer from the Chib Rajput tribe. His father served in Maharaja Hari Singh’s administration and was granted an estate in present-day Bhimber district.
He received his early education in Srinagar and Delhi. At the age of 13, he joined Lawrence College, Ghora Gali. His contemporaries there included former prime minister Zafarullah Jamali and former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akbar Bugti. He graduated from Government College, Lahore, in 1955.
Business Career
In 1958, Raja Zulqarnain entered the construction business by establishing United Builders in Karachi. The company subsequently undertook projects in Pakistan, AJK, UAE and Iraq.
Political Career
Raja Zulqarnain entered politics in 1960-61 as an associate of KH Khurshid, a former AJK president and private secretary to Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He was elected chairman of his native union council, Kasguma, in the first elections under the Basic Democracies system introduced by Gen Ayub Khan. This system was later adopted in AJK under Mr Khurshid.
When Mr Khurshid founded the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League in 1962, he appointed Raja Zulqarnain its founding secretary general. He remained deeply influenced by his mentor’s political outlook and personal manner.
Elections and Party Roles
Ahead of AJK’s first general elections under the parliamentary system in 1975, Raja Zulqarnain joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Samahni.
After political activities were restored following Gen Ziaul Haq’s martial law, he joined the Muslim Conference (MC). He won the 1985 election from Bhimber on its ticket and served in Sardar Sikandar Hayat’s cabinet for five years.
In 1990, he lost the assembly election to PPP candidate Chaudhry Sohbat Ali. He returned to the assembly in 1991 and served in Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan’s cabinet for five years. In 1996, the MC secured his election to the AJK Council.
Later Political Associations
In the general elections held that year, he backed Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, who was elected to the assembly for the first time. Their political association ended amid local rivalries ahead of the 2001 election, when Mr Farooq contested as an independent and defeated Raja Zulqarnain.
In 2006, Raja Zulqarnain opposed Mr Farooq, the MC nominee. This helped Chaudhry Anwarul Haq win his first assembly seat by a narrow margin. In August that year, the Muslim Conference elected him AJK president. He held this position until August 2011.
He continued to support Mr Haq in the 2011 and 2016 elections, both of which Mr Farooq won. In 2021, Mr Haq, then a PTI candidate, secured his second victory with Raja Zulqarnain’s support. Later, the former president became disenchanted with Mr Haq.
Joining PML-N
In April this year, a PML-N delegation called on Raja Zulqarnain and invited him to formally join the party. His son, Babar Ali Zulqarnain, announced his father’s decision to join the PML-N at a public meeting in Bhimber the following month. Babar Ali Zulqarnain was appointed a party vice president.
Condolences
In his condolence message, AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq described Raja Zulqarnain’s death as a major loss for the political, parliamentary and social circles of Jammu and Kashmir.
Former AJK premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas also expressed deep sorrow over Raja Zulqarnain’s death.
Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026
Source: dawn