An elderly woman votes at a polling station in Gilgit. PHOTO: APPLICATION
ISLAMABAD/GILGIT:
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has come out on top in the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) parliamentary elections, as unofficial and incomplete results show the party leading with 11 of the 24 seats up for grabs in Sunday’s poll.
The PPP is followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with five seats. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is leading with three seats and its ally, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), with one seat, while independent candidates are leading in two constituencies.
According to Express News, in the wee hours of Monday, PPP candidate Amjad Hussain was leading in GBA-1 Gilgit-I with 1,553 votes after results from 10 of the 80 polling stations were counted. MWM’s Muhammad Ilyas Siddiqui came second with 635 votes.
Unofficial GBA-2 results show PML-N candidate Hafeezur Rehman leading the race. PPP candidate Jameel Ahmed is in second position. In GBA-6 Hunza, results from 77 of the 88 polling stations showed a close fight, with PTI-backed independent candidate Nek Naam Karim leading with 5,612 votes.
In GBA-7 Skardu-I, where counting has been completed at all 31 polling stations, PPP candidate Syed Tauqeer Mehdi won the seat with 4,295 votes. Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Raja Jalal remained second with 3,849 votes, while PML-N candidate Haji Akbar Taban came third with 2,667 votes.
Unofficial GBA-3 results show that a PTI-backed independent candidate won with 7,877 votes. In GBA-4 Nagar-I, PPP’s Muhammad Ali Akhtar won with 7,670 votes, defeating IPP candidate Muhammad Ayub, who received 6,491 votes.
In GBA-9 Skardu-III, PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad won with 6,314 votes, while IPP candidate Wazir Muhammad Saleem finished second with 6,106 votes. In GBA-22 Ghanche, Ibrahim Sanai of the PML-N won with 9,308 votes. Independent candidates won in GBA-23 Ghanche and GBA-24.
In Astore, PML-N candidates Rana Farman Ali and Rana Muhammad Farooq won GBA-13 Astore-I and GBA-14 Astore-II respectively.
At the same time, the counting continued in several constituencies. In GBA-10 Skardu, PPP candidate Raja Nasir Ali Khan was leading, with MWM’s Mushtaq Hussain in second place. In GBA-15 Diamer-I, independent candidate Muhammad Dilpazeer was leading.
In GBA-16 Diamer-II, IPP candidate Atiqullah was leading. In GBA-19 Ghizer-I, independent candidate Nawaz Khan was ahead of PML-N’s Zafar Muhammad, while in GBA-20 Ghizer-II, independent candidate Safdar Ali Shirazi was leading with PML-N’s Abdul Jahan in second place.
Previously, voting in Great Britain took place peacefully on Sunday. Voting began at 8 a.m. and continued uninterrupted until 5 p.m. in all constituencies. Election day took place without major disruption, with voters coming in significant numbers to polling stations across the region.
According to official figures, there are 963,000 registered voters in Britain, including 506,000 men and 456,000 women. A total of 1,391 polling stations were opened, where a high turnout was seen, with considerable participation of women as well.
More than 12 political parties, alongside independent candidates, ran in the elections. A total of 396 male candidates and eight female candidates took part in the contest, highlighting a competitive electoral field in the region. The fight between the PPP and the PML-N was particularly followed.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly has 33 seats. Among them, 24 are filled by direct suffrage, while six seats are reserved for women and three for technocrats. A simple majority of 17 seats is required for a party or alliance to form the government.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan visited various polling stations in Gilgit city and reviewed the voting arrangements, security measures and the overall electoral environment. Speaking to PTV, he said strong election activity was being seen across Britain.
He said security arrangements were satisfactory and voting was being conducted in an organized manner. He noted that women’s participation in dedicated polling stations reflected a growing awareness of the importance of voting. He said he was pleased with the overall turnout.
Acting British Information Minister Ghulam Abbas also welcomed voter participation in the elections. Speaking to local media, he said the vote had gone smoothly, with a significant number of voters present at polling stations across the region.
As vote counting continued after polling closed, concerns were raised by PPP representatives over the non-issuance of “Form 45” – the document which contains the vote tally from the polling station. The party has described the issue as a point of contention in several areas.
Senior PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said he had anticipated concerns about the results process and had taken up the matter with the Election Commission earlier, specifically demanding the issuance of “Form 45”.
Kaira urged party members to remain calm at polling stations and avoid any form of disturbance, stressing the importance of maintaining peace during the counting process. His concerns were also echoed by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
In a statement, JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri expressed serious reservations over the ‘Form 45’ issue, describing it as a major point of contention in the ongoing counting process. He added that delays in announcing the results had also cast serious doubts on the credibility of the electoral process.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders have claimed a strong performance of the party candidates in the elections. PTI leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan said the party held a clear advantage on the ground over other political forces. He urged voters to closely monitor the results process to ensure their mandate is protected.
