Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended his congratulations on Monday to Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari and party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for securing the largest number of seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections. He also praised the people of Gilgit-Baltistan for their participation in a peaceful and vibrant democratic process.
The Pakistan People’s Party emerged as the dominant political force in the regional elections, winning 10 seats based on preliminary and unofficial results. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured six seats despite facing a highly competitive campaign.
provisional tallies from the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission for the 24 directly elected legislative seats, the distribution stands as follows: PPP with 10 seats; independents and PTI-backed candidates with seven seats; PML-N with six seats; and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) with one seat.
Former Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister and senior PML-N leader Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman described the polling process as peaceful. He noted that his party had nominated candidates in 22 constituencies and supported independents in two others. Rehman emphasized that the final party standings would become clear once official results are declared and urged all parties to collaborate for the region’s development.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan accused electoral authorities of manipulating the results. He claimed that PTI-affiliated candidates, who were compelled to contest as independents after being denied their party symbol, were initially leading in eight constituencies before the outcomes were altered. Gohar asserted that provisional tally sheets (Form-47s) had been signed for at least three seats where PTI candidates were declared winners, but these victories were deliberately overturned.
Senior PPP leaders celebrated the election outcome as a significant democratic endorsement. Sindh Assembly Speaker Awais Qadir Shah, along with leaders Shazia Marri, Mohammad Bux Mahar, and Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, described the victory as a resurgence of “Bhuttoism” in Gilgit-Baltistan. They highlighted that the electorate’s trust in PPP was rooted in the party’s historic administrative reforms, particularly those implemented during President Asif Ali Zardari’s previous tenure, which granted crucial political and executive powers to the semi-autonomous mountainous region.
Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China and is a key corridor for the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), voted to elect a new assembly for a five-year term following the expiration of the previous term in November 2025.
