….(Asghar Ali Mubarak)…
Efforts have begun to form a government in Gilgit-Baltistan, where a coalition of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party is likely to form a government. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the PPP and PML-N alliance may be on the PDM model, the Chief Minister in Gilgit-Baltistan will be from the PPP, while the Governor may be from the PML-N. In the coalition government of the PML-N and the PPP in Gilgit-Baltistan, there will be a 60/40 formula for the distribution of ministries.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari also met at the Presidential Palace. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah were present in this important meeting.
The Prime Minister has congratulated the successful, peaceful and transparent holding of general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan. In a congratulatory statement, the Prime Minister expressed happiness over the Pakistan Peoples Party becoming the majority political party in the election results and called it deserving of special congratulations. It should be noted that the process of coming out of the final and unofficial results of the general elections held on 24 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly is continuing rapidly, according to which the Pakistan Peoples Party is leading by winning nine seats so far. A coalition government of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) is in place in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Chief Minister of this alliance, formed in July 2023 by the Forward Bloc of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the People’s Party, the Muslim League (N), and the JUI-F, is Haji Gulbar Khan. The following are the key points of the current political situation and the working relationship of the two parties: Power-sharing formula Administrative positions: Both the People’s Party and the Muslim League (N) hold key ministries and advisory positions in the Gilgit-Baltistan government. Governor’s post: According to a recent report in the daily Jang, under a broader agreement reached between the Muslim League (N) and the People’s Party in the federation, the post of Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan is with the People’s Party, on which Syed Mehdi Shah is appointed. Federal Budget and Gilgit-Baltistan’s Financial Affairs Budget Share: In the recent budget talks between the federal government and the PPP, an in-principle agreement was reached on the provision of special funds for the development budget of Gilgit-Baltistan and wheat subsidy. Development Projects: Local leaders of both parties have urged the federation to ensure timely provision of funds for ongoing energy and tourism projects in Gilgit-Baltistan. Political Challenges and Harmony Local Concerns: The central leadership of the PML-N and the PPP (Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari) recently held special meetings in Islamabad to discuss maintaining law and order, recent political changes and administrative harmony in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Prime Minister praised the entire political atmosphere and democratic process of Gilgit-Baltistan and said that peaceful, transparent elections and political activities are the beauty of democracy, and the way the Election Commission has ensured a transparent and impartial election is truly commendable. After the election results were announced, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif praised the leadership of the PPP and said that the Pakistan Peoples Party has emerged as the majority political party in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, which deserves congratulations, and I congratulate President Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on this success. The Prime Minister mentioned not only the majority party but also all the other winners in his statement and said that I congratulate the successful candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and also congratulate all the successful candidates in Gilgit-Baltistan. He appreciated the enthusiasm of the people in the voting process and added that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan also deserve special praise for their full participation in political activities, who strengthened democracy by exercising their right to vote. The Prime Minister also acknowledged the services of the security forces for maintaining law and order during the elections and providing protection to the citizens. Encouraging the officials on election duty, he said that the police and law enforcement agencies played a full role in conducting peaceful elections, for which he is commended. The Prime Minister’s statement is being seen as a positive and impartial message for democratic continuity and political stability in the region, where successful candidates of all parties have been equally encouraged.Before deciding who will form the next government in Gilgit-Baltistan, it is important to understand the structure of the Legislative Assembly and the formula for forming the government. The Legislative Assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan consists of a total of 33 seats. Of these, there are 24 general seats on which the people directly elect their representatives. Elections were held on these 24 seats on Sunday, and counting is underway. In addition, 6 seats are reserved for women, while 3 seats are reserved for technocrats, which are given to political parties in proportion to the general seats they won. Thus, a total of 33 seats are made. In the first phase, direct elections are held on 24 general seats. Candidates who succeed in these seats become members of the assembly. In the second phase, 9 reserved seats for women and technocrats are distributed among political parties in proportion to the general seats they won. The party that has more general seats will also get a greater share of the reserved seats. A total of 17 members are required to form a government in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. According to the seat-sharing formula, the results of the general seats play a fundamental role in government formation. That is, the party or alliance that wins 13 out of the 24 general seats is in a strong position to win a majority after the distribution of reserved seats. If no single party gets a clear majority, two or more parties can form a coalition government. That is, the party or alliance that has the support of at least 17 members in the 33-member house will get the right to form the government.
Since the dissolution of the assembly in 2025, Justice (retd) Yar Muhammad Khan has been performing the duties of the caretaker Chief Minister. Under his supervision, the fourth general elections of Gilgit-Baltistan were held on June 7. It may be recalled that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Saleem Mandviwala, Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Faisal Rathore and Raja Pervez Ashraf also attended the meeting. Issues of national importance including the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and the situation in Azad Kashmir were discussed in the meeting, while the government and the PPP agreed with most of each other’s budget proposals in the meeting and the PPP gave the green signal to approve the budget. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif congratulated President Zardari on his victory in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and said with a smile that young Bilawal ran a better election campaign than us, to which President Asif Zardari replied with a smile, whose son is it! It should be noted that in the general elections held on 24 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, completely unconfirmed and unofficial results of 21 out of 24 seats have been announced so far, while the results of only three constituencies are yet to be announced, after which the situation will become clearer. According to the unofficial and unofficial results, the Pakistan Peoples Party is leading by winning 9 seats so far. Independent candidates have also come forward in this political contest and they have won 7 seats. Similarly, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) has been successful in winning 4 seats so far, while the Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) has won one seat. The PPP won GBA 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19 of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly while independent candidates won GBA 3, 6, 15, 16, 21, 23, 24. In addition, the PML-N has won GBA 2, 18, 20, 22 and the MWM has won GBA 8.
Looking at the results of the complete polling stations received from different constituencies, according to the unofficial results of all 80 polling stations in GBA-1 Gilgit, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Amjad Hussain was declared victorious by securing 10,594 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 73 polling stations in GBA-2 Gilgit, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Hafeez-ur-Rehman won with 13,433 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 82 polling stations in GBA-3 Gilgit, independent candidate Sohail Abbas won with 7,877 votes.
According to the unofficial results of all 60 polling stations in GBA-4 Nagar, Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Muhammad Ali Akhtar won by securing 7,654 votes.
According to the unofficial results of all 32 polling stations in GBA-5 Nagar, Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Zulfiqar Ali Murad secured his victory by securing 3,705 votes.
According to the unofficial results of all 89 polling stations in GBA-6 Hunza, independent candidate Neknam Karim was in first place with 6,390 votes.
According to the unofficial results of all 31 polling stations in GBA-7 Skardu, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Syed Tauqir Mehdi Shah won the election by securing 4,337 votes.
According to the unofficial results of all 57 polling stations in GBA-8 Skardu, Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen Pakistan’s Muhammad Kazim Maisam won by securing 10,594 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 56 polling stations in GBA-9 Skardu, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Haji Fida Nashad won by securing 6,270 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 50 polling stations in GBA-10 Skardu, Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate Raja Nasir Abdullah won by securing 5,680 votesAccording to the unofficial results of all 43 polling stations in GBA-11 Kharmang, Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Iqbal Hassan won by securing 5,944 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 71 polling stations in GBA-12 Shigar, Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Imran Nadeem won by a clear majority by securing 12,944 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 49 polling stations in GBA-15 Diamer, independent candidate Dilpazir Tarangfa won by securing 5,145 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 59 polling stations in GBA-16 Diamer, independent candidate Imam Malik won by securing 6,320 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 26 polling stations in GBA-18 Diamer, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Kifayat-ur-Rehman won by securing 5,521 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 78 polling stations in GBA-19 Ghizer, Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Jalal Ali Shah won the election with 9,613 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 65 polling stations in GBA-20 Ghizer, PML-N candidate Abdul Jahan won with 6,917 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 60 polling stations in GBA-21 Ghizer, independent candidate Aman Ali Amir won with 9,938 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 57 polling stations in GBA-22 Ghanche, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Muhammad Ibrahim Sanai won with a clear majority with 10,136 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 48 polling stations in GBA-23 Ghanche, independent candidate Haji Anwar Ali won with 12,000 votes. He won by a landslide by securing 117 votes. According to the unofficial results of all 46 polling stations in GBA-24 Ghanche constituency, independent candidate Dr. Asad Shafiq won the election by securing 7,164 votes. It will be clear only after the complete results of the remaining constituencies are out who will form an alliance with whom to form the government in Gilgit-Baltistan. It should be remembered that the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly consists of a total of 33 seats, while 24 are directly elected members, 6 are women seats, and 3 are reserved for technocrats. Any party or alliance needs a simple majority of 17 seats to form the government. The Pakistan Peoples Party fielded the most candidates in these elections, that is, 23, followed by the Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 22 candidates. 19 independent candidates supported by the Tehreek-e-Insaf are also in the election race. The Stability Pakistan Party has fielded candidates from 15 and the Pakistan Ideological Party from 10 constituencies. Nine candidates each from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and Islami Tehreek-e-Pakistan are contesting the elections, while seven candidates from Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen are in the fray. In addition, six candidates each from Jamaat-e-Islami and MQM are also in the fray, while four candidates from Awami Workers Party are in the fray. 396 candidates are in the fray in 24 constituencies, a total of 266 independent candidates are also contesting the elections, in addition to which eight female candidates are also in the fray in different constituencies. The number of registered voters for the elections is 958,480, of which 537,772 are male voters and 454,708 are female voters. Diamer and Skardu are politically very important districts, with four constituencies each in both districts. Gilgit, Ghizer and Ganchhe have three constituencies each, while Nagar and Astore have two constituencies each. The number of registered voters for the election is 958,480, of which 537,772 are male voters and 454,708 are female voters.
These are the fourth general elections to the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, which are being described as very important for determining political stability and public representation in the region.
According to the data released by the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan, a total of 396 candidates are in the fray for the 24 general seats of the Legislative Assembly, including 266 independent candidates, which constitute about two-thirds of the total candidates. According to the data released by the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan, a total of 396 candidates are in the fray for the 24 general seats of the Legislative Assembly, including 266 independent candidates. An important aspect of the Gilgit-Baltistan elections is that Islamabad’s politics have a profound impact here. History shows that Islamabad has an influence on elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and the party that is in power in Islamabad, in these elections, constitutional status, provincial rights, employment for the youth, tourism, climate change and projects like CPEC have become the most important issues for voters. In the past, the same party has won the elections, this was seen in the last three elections and it is seen this time too.
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