ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ruling coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), emerged as the largest party in elections in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region but fell short of a majority, according to unofficial results on Monday, setting the stage for coalition negotiations and giving independent candidates a potentially decisive role in government formation.
The vote was held for 24 directly elected seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, the legislature of a strategically important mountainous region bordering China, Afghanistan and Indian-administered Kashmir. The region is home to some of the world’s highest peaks and serves as a key gateway for trade and infrastructure links between Pakistan and China.
“According to the preliminary data, the PPP managed to secure 10 seats, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with six seats,” the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan reported, citing unofficial election results.
“Candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won two seats, while the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) bagged one seat.”
The state news agency said independent candidates won five seats and were expected to play a “decisive role” in determining which party forms the next regional government.
A total of 396 candidates, including 266 independents, contested the election. The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly comprises 33 seats, including 24 directly elected seats, six reserved for women and three reserved for technocrats and professionals.
Among the notable winners was former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman of the PML-N, who secured victory by a large margin, according to APP.
The election was closely watched because political control of Gilgit-Baltistan often mirrors shifts in power at the federal level. The PPP formed the regional government after the 2009 election, the PML-N won in 2015, and former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI emerged victorious in the last Gilgit-Baltistan election in 2020.
Gilgit-Baltistan is part of the wider Kashmir region, which is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but administered in parts by each country. The territory occupies a strategic position at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and western China and is a key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multibillion-dollar infrastructure and energy initiative.
