GB Protests Block Karakoram Highway Over Poll Result Dispute

Protests in Gilgit-Baltistan entered a third consecutive day on Wednesday as demonstrators kept sections of the Karakoram Highway blocked over re-polling orders and delays in the announcement of official election results. The disruption, centred in Diamer and other areas, has turned a constituency-level dispute into a wider political and public-mobility crisis.

The unrest followed decisions by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission to order re-polling at polling stations in several constituencies, including Skardu-II, Astore-I and three Diamer seats. The commission had also directed that results from the June 7 election should not be consolidated until the re-polling process was completed.

Supporters of PPP candidate Attaullah from GBA-16 Diamer-II staged a protest outside the district returning officer’s office in Chilas and blocked the highway. They demanded that postal ballots be counted, the final result be announced without further delay and the re-polling order at three polling stations be withdrawn.

The protesters said the election record already showed a clear outcome and argued that the delay had created suspicion about the handling of the public mandate. Attaullah stated that polling had taken place in the presence of agents and that the relevant polling forms had already been prepared, leaving only the postal ballots to be counted.

According to figures cited by protesters, independent candidate Imam Malik was shown ahead by 24 votes on one form, while postal ballot numbers were said to favour the PPP candidate by a much larger margin. The protesters claimed that, after postal votes, Attaullah had secured the constituency by 269 votes and that fresh polling would unfairly alter the result.

The blockade has caused serious hardship for travellers moving between Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest of Pakistan. Traffic remained suspended on the key route for a third day, forcing passengers to use Babusar Road and other alternatives, although protesters briefly reopened the highway for two hours to allow stranded people to move through.

The dispute widened beyond Diamer as demonstrations were also held outside the Election Commission’s secretariat in Gilgit. Protesters there blocked Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam and demanded the announcement of GBA-16 results after the counting of postal ballots, instead of holding fresh polling at the disputed stations.

In a major related development, the Election Commission withdrew its earlier order for re-polling at 10 polling stations in GBA-08 Skardu-II. After reviewing a fact-finding report, the commission said the legal conditions required for a re-poll had not been met and later notified MWM candidate Kazim Mesum as the winner from the constituency.

The commission also ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in GBA-09 Skardu-III, asking officials to examine claims of obstruction, violence, tampering, illegal interference or any disruption that could have affected the fairness of the polling process. The inquiry means another constituency remains under close scrutiny while political tensions remain high.

The next phase will depend on whether election authorities can resolve the Diamer dispute quickly and restore confidence among contesting candidates and voters. If the standoff continues, it could deepen political polarisation in Gilgit-Baltistan, prolong travel disruption on one of Pakistan’s most important northern routes and intensify pressure on the Election Commission to ensure transparent results.