Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday for his support in the formation of the government in Gilgit-Baltistan. The two leaders met at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, where they also discussed enhanced political cooperation and coordination between the ruling coalition partners.
Bilawal acknowledged Pakistan’s constructive role in facilitating a US-Iran peace agreement and praised the prime minister’s diplomatic efforts. Their discussions further covered budgetary issues and the current situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Present during the meeting were PPP leaders Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar, along with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Ahsan Iqbal.
Meanwhile, in a significant development, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan announced verdicts on three long-pending election petitions, providing a boost to the PPP by confirming its hold on 11 seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. The election chief declared PPP candidate Attaullah Khan the winner from GBA-16 Diamer-II, while upholding Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) victories in GBA-17 and GBA-13 Astore-I.
These decisions came after rival candidates challenged the Form-47 results, leading the chief election commissioner to suspend the disputed outcomes temporarily before issuing the final rulings on Wednesday.
With the latest notifications, the PPP now commands 11 seats in the assembly, followed by PML-N with six seats. Independent candidates, who recently joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), have secured four seats. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidates won two seats, while Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen holds one seat.
The election commission stated that notifications for the successful candidates would be issued soon. Additionally, six reserved seats for women and three technocrat seats will be allocated to parties proportionally based on their final strength in the assembly.
The June 7 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections recorded a turnout of approximately 70 percent, which the election commission described as a strong demonstration of public confidence in the democratic process.
However, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which observed the elections, raised concerns over the suspension of re-polling orders in several constituencies and the subsequent announcement of final results. The HRCP warned that sudden changes in electoral procedures could reinforce perceptions of political interference and erode public trust in the electoral system.
