Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has taken the lead in the Gilgit-Baltistan(GB) Legislative Assembly elections, securing 10 out of 24 directly contested seats, according to unofficial and preliminary results.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) follows with six seats, while independent candidates won seven constituencies, including two backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) secured one seat.
General elections for the 33-seat assembly which includes 24 directly contested seats, six reserved for women, and three for technocrats, were held after a four-month delay caused by cold weather conditions.
Out of 396 candidates, 266 contested independently, while only eight women ran in the polls. The region has 963,034 registered voters across 10 districts, comprising 566,097 men and 396,937 women.
Polling took place across 1,391 stations, classified as 488 normal, 349 sensitive, and 551 highly sensitive, under the security of 6,000 Punjab Police and 2,000 Islamabad Police personnel.
Despite peaceful polling, PPP raised objections over the transparency of the vote count. PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari pointed out delays in receiving Form-45, stating, “We have contacted the chief election commissioner and informed him about the matter.” PPP spokesperson Shazia Marri termed the delay “unacceptable” and stated that altered voter lists and shifted polling stations indicated rigging.
The party highlighted the relocation of the Balachi polling station in Astore-II’s Bunji area, noting on X that the station had 206 registered voters and that the “local population is known for its strong support” for the party.
“This decision appears to be an attempt to affect the PPP’s vote bank and discourage voters from participating in the polling process,” which led to protests and the closure of the Gilgit-Skardu Road.
PTI also contested the results, alleging that its candidates were leading until 7:00 PM before abnormalities emerged. The party stated, “PTI candidates were clearly leading until 7pm.
However, immediately afterwards, results from certain polling stations began to emerge with suspiciously high turnouts exceeding 80 percent and individual ballot boxes having 700-800 votes.
These figures raise serious doubts and suspicions.” The party called the situation “a blot on the entire electoral process and its transparency,” alleging a “well-planned and systematic conspiracy” involving fake ballot papers in Nagar, withheld Form-46 documents, and the harassment of opposition workers.
The election featured 23 candidates from the PPP, 22 from the PML-N, 15 from the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), 11 from the PML-Q, 10 from Tehreek-i-Islami Pakistan, 10 from the Pakistan Nazriyati Party (PNP), and nine from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
Key matchups included PPP’s Advocate Amjad Hussain contesting from GBA-1 and former Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman of the PML-N contesting from GBA-2.
Prior to the vote, the GB Supreme Appellate Court had directed the election commission to ensure free and fair polls following a formal request from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan.
