GILGIT — Preliminary and unofficial results for the 24 directly contested seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly indicate that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is leading the electoral race. Polling concluded peacefully on Sunday across the region’s 10 districts under strict security protocols, following a four-month delay triggered by harsh winter weather.
Key Highlights
- Unofficial counts place the PPP in the lead with victory in 10 constituencies.
- The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) follows in second place with 6 seats.
- Independent candidates secured 7 seats, including 2 won by PTI-backed nominees.
- Out of 33 total assembly seats, 24 were filled via direct voting.
- Both the PPP and PTI have raised separate rigging allegations over Form-45 delays and overnight polling station changes.
Unofficial results from 18 of 24 constituencies show PPP leading with 9 seats, followed by independent candidates
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Provisional Election Results and Standings
A total of 396 candidates, including a heavy concentration of 266 independents, contested the general elections. While the regional assembly maintains a total of 33 seats, 24 are decided through direct public franchise, with the remaining 9 allocated to women (6) and technocrats (3) via proportional representation.
The provisional, unofficial results for the 24 directly contested seats are detailed below:
| Political Party / Alignment | Seats Won | Notable Constituency Successes |
| Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) | 10 | GBA-1 (Gilgit), GBA-4 & 5 (Nagar), GBA-7 & 9 (Skardu), GBA-11 (Kharmang), GBA-12 (Shigar) |
| Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) | 6 | GBA-2 (Gilgit), GBA-13 & 14 (Astore), GBA-18 (Tangir), GBA-20 (Ghizer), GBA-22 (Ghanche) |
| Independent (Un-aligned) | 5 | GBA-15 & 16 (Diamer), GBA-21 (Yasin), GBA-23 & 24 (Ghanche) |
| PTI-Backed Independents | 2 | GBA-3 (Gilgit), GBA-6 (Hunza) |
| Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) | 1 | GBA-8 (Skardu) |
The direct competition featured high-profile regional heads, including the president of the PPP’s GB chapter, Advocate Amjad Hussain, who secured GBA-1 (Gilgit-I), and the PML-N’s GB chapter president and former chief minister, Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, who won GBA-2 (Gilgit-II).
Claims of Rigging and “Electoral Engineering”
Despite a largely orderly voting process observed by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission, opposition parties leveled serious transparency complaints as soon as the polling gates closed.
PPP Administrative Grievances: PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and spokesperson Shazia Marri condemned unacceptable delays in issuing Form-45 result sheets. The party further alleged that the Balachi polling station in Astore-II was intentionally relocated overnight to a hilltop to discourage its local vote bank, prompting public protests that temporarily blocked the Gilgit-Skardu Road. Furthermore, the PPP accused two federal ministers of using state machinery for “electoral engineering”.
PTI Manipulation Allegations: The PTI—whose candidates ran as independents due to the loss of their electoral symbol—issued statements claiming that their early leads were subverted after 7:00 PM by “suspiciously high turnouts exceeding 80 per cent” at specific stations. The party also stated that its polling agents were denied Form-46 and claimed to have caught opposing party workers with fake ballot papers in Nagar.
Polling Day Operations and Security
GB Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan reported satisfactory conditions during field inspections, highlighting a large turnout of female voters among the region’s 963,034 registered electorate.
To preserve order across the 1,391 established polling stations, the administration deployed 6,000 police personnel from Punjab and 2,000 from Islamabad to reinforce local forces. Security operations were focused heavily on the 551 stations designated as “highly sensitive,” with the Diamer district holding the highest concentration of high-risk security zones.
