PPP Takes Lead in Gilgit-Baltistan as Election Petitions Decided

GILGIT: The Pakistan Peoples Party has emerged as the leading political force in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly race after the region’s chief election commissioner announced decisions on three pending election petitions on Wednesday.

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan delivered the long-awaited verdicts after candidates had challenged disputed Form-47 results. The decisions raised the PPP’s tally to 11 seats, giving the party a clear advantage as the process moves toward final notifications and allocation of reserved seats.

According to the announced results, PPP candidate Attaullah was declared successful from GBA-16 Diamer-II, while PML-N candidates secured victories in GBA-17 and GBA-13 Astore-I. The petitions had earlier prompted the Election Commission to suspend results and reserve judgment after hearing arguments from rival sides.

The CEC said formal notifications for the successful candidates would now be issued. He also stated that six seats reserved for women and three technocrat seats would be distributed among political parties according to their final strength in the assembly once the notification process is completed.

The updated party position places the PPP at 11 seats, followed by the PML-N with six. Four independents who recently joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party are also part of the new assembly equation, while PTI-backed candidates have two seats and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen holds one.

The decision is politically significant because the unresolved petitions had kept the post-election picture uncertain. In GBA-16 Diamer-II, supporters of independent candidate Imam Malik had staged protests and blocked the Karakoram Highway in Chilas, demanding re-polling at selected polling stations.

The Election Commission had initially ordered re-polling at three polling stations in GBA-16 but later withdrew that decision. It had also delayed results for GBA-13 Astore-I and GBA-16 Diamer-II until June 17, making Wednesday’s announcement a decisive step toward closing the election phase.

The June 7 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly polls recorded a high voter turnout of around 70 percent, which election officials described as a sign of public participation in the democratic process. However, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had expressed concern over abrupt changes in re-polling decisions and warned that such actions could deepen perceptions of political interference.

For Gilgit-Baltistan, the outcome matters beyond party numbers. The new assembly will influence development priorities, local governance, public services, tourism policy, infrastructure planning and the region’s role in wider national economic projects.

The next stage will be the issuance of official notifications and the distribution of reserved seats, after which political parties will intensify efforts to shape the government. The PPP now enters that phase with momentum, but opposition concerns and public protests may continue to test the credibility of the final electoral settlement.