Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry

{{Short description|Pakistani-Kashmiri politician (1950/1951–2026)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=February 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry | birth_date = {{birth date|1955|8|9|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{death date and age|2026|01|31|1955|8|9|df=y}} | death_place = Islamabad, Pakistan | honorific_prefix = Barrister | office1 = President of Azad Kashmir | prime_minister1 = Abdul Qayyum Niazi<br/>Sardar Tanveer Ilyas<br/>Chaudhry Anwarul Haq<br/>Faisal Mumtaz Rathore | term_start1 = 25 August 2021 | term_end1 = 31 January 2026 | successor1 = Chaudhry Latif Akbar (acting) | office2 = Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir | term_start2 = 30 July 1996 | term_end2 = 24 July 2001 | predecessor2 = Abdul Qayyum Khan | successor2 = Sardar Sikandar Hayat | party = PTI (2015–2026) | other_party = PPP (until 2006; 2010–2015)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=13 December 2010 |title=Barrister Sultan heads back to PPP |url=https://www.dawn.com/2010/12/13/barrister-sultan-heads-back-to-ppp/ |access-date=31 August 2025 |website=DAWN|language=en}}{{dead link|date=April 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><br/>Jammu and Kashmir People's Muslim League (2006–2010)<ref name=":0" /> | alma_mater = Lincoln's Inn Government Gordon College | office3 = President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Azad Kashmir | term_start3 = 6 February 2015 | term_end3 = 9 September 2021 | 1blankname3 = Chairman | 1namedata3 = Imran Khan | successor3 = Sardar Tanveer Ilyas | office4 = Member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly | term_start4 = 3 August 2021 | term_end4 = 25 August 2021 | successor4 = Yasir Sultan Chaudhry | constituency4 = LA-3 Mirpur-III | image = | term_end = | predecessor1 = Masood Khan | term_start5 = 24 November 2019 | term_end5 = 30 July 2021 | constituency5 = LA-3 Mirpur-III | predecessor5 = Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed | successor5 = ''Himself'' | predecessor4 = ''Himself'' | term_start6 = 1996 | term_end6 = 25 July 2016 | constituency6 = LA-3 Mirpur-III | successor6 = Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed | children = Yasir Sultan Chaudhry (son) | native_name_lang = ur | native_name = {{nobold|سلطان محمود چوہدری}} | term_start7 = 1985 | term_end7 = 1991 | constituency7 = LA-3 Mirpur-III | predecessor6 = Arshad Mahmood Ghazi | predecessor7 = Chauhdry Noor Hussain | successor7 = Arshad Mahmood Ghazi }}

'''Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry''' ({{langx|ur|سلطان محمود چوہدری}}; 9 August 1955 – 31 January 2026) was an Azad Kashmiri politician who hailed from Mirpur. He served as Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir between July 1996 to July 2001 and served as the President of Azad Kashmir from 25 August 2021 until his death on 31 January 2026.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/former%20PMs.asp| title=Former Prime Ministers of Azad Kashmir| publisher=Government of Azad Kashmir| accessdate=17 August 2021| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715035603/http://www.pmajk.gov.pk/former%20PMs.asp| archivedate=15 July 2013}}</ref><ref name=Dawn2/>

== Early life== Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry was born on 9 August 1955.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Naqash |first1=Tariq |title=Sultan Mahmood passes away at 70 |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1970310 |access-date=13 March 2026 |work=Dawn |date=1 February 2026}}</ref> He was the son of the late Kashmiri leader Chaudhary Noor Hussain who also founded Azad Muslim Conference along with Sardar Ibrahim Khan but after Sardar Ibrahim Khan left the party, he led it alone. He belonged to a Jatt family and his family had contributions in the movement for a free Jammu and Kashmir. He had also been a member of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.<ref name=Dawn/><ref name=Dawn2/>

==Political career== In the second elections in Azad Kashmir, Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed, Chaudhry Khadim Hussain and Chaudhry Yasin won. Then Sultan Mehmood merged his party with the Liberation League and became its president. Later, he left that party and joined Pakistan People's Party and became president of its Azad Kashmir chapter. Then he became Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He faced some problems in the PPP which led to him quitting the party. He then founded his own party People's Muslim League in 2005 and his party won 5 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Later, when Benazir Bhutto addressed the issue, he (Sultan Mehmood) apologised and was allowed to join the party again. He rejoined the Pakistan People's Party again but won no seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

Chaudhry joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on 6 February 2015<ref name=Dawn2>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1161838|title=Former AJK PM joins PTI|date=6 February 2015|newspaper=Dawn (newspaper)|access-date=17 August 2021}}</ref> and lost the elections for the first time in 25 years on 21 July 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/pml-n-candidate-defeats-pti-ajk-president-barrister-sultan-mahmood/|title=PML-N candidate defeats PTI AJK president Barrister Sultan Mahmood|date=21 July 2016|author=Khurram Shahzad|newspaper=Daily Pakistan (newspaper)|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref>

On 24 November 2019, he became a Member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in the by-elections in Mirpur.

He was elected as the President of Azad Kashmir on 17 August 2021.<ref name=Dawn>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1641188/ptis-barrister-sultan-mahmood-elected-ajk-president|title=PTI's Barrister Sultan Mahmood elected AJK president|date=17 August 2021|work=Dawn (newspaper)}}</ref>

==Death== On 31 January 2026, Chaudhry died in Islamabad at the age of 71 after a prolonged illness.<ref>{{cite news |title=AJK President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry passes away at 71 |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1970121/ajk-president-sultan-mehmood-chaudhry-passes-away-at-71 |access-date=31 January 2026 |publisher=Dawn |date=31 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Naqash |first1=Tariq |title=AJK president laid to rest with state honours |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1970556/ajk-president-laid-to-rest-with-state-honours |work=Dawn |date=2 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> The Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir announced a three-day mourning over his death.<ref>{{cite news |title=Azad Kashmir observes three days of mourning after death of Sultan Mahmood |url=https://english.aaj.tv/news/330451814/azad-kashmir-observes-three-days-of-mourning-after-death-of-sultan-mahmood |work=Aaj English TV |date=1 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> He was given a state funeral with his funeral prayer offered at the Quaid-e-Azam Stadium in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mir |first1=M. A. |title=AJK President Sultan Mahmood laid to rest with state, military honours |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2590270/ajk-president-sultan-mahmood-laid-to-rest-with-state-military-honours |work=The Express Tribune |date=1 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.pmajk.gov.pk Office of the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhry, Sultan Mehmood}} Category:1950s births Category:Year of birth uncertain Category:2026 deaths Category:Jat Category:Government Gordon College alumni Category:Pakistani barristers Category:Prime ministers of Azad Kashmir Category:Presidents of Azad Kashmir Category:Lists of politicians who died in office Category:State funerals in Pakistan