Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Elections Set for June 7 After Four-Month Delay

Lead

The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission has announced that general elections for the region's assembly will be held on June 7, 2026, ending a four-month delay caused by harsh winter weather. The new schedule, confirmed by Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan, allows candidates to submit nomination papers from April 16 to 20, with election symbols to be allotted on May 12. Local government elections, initially set for February, have been rescheduled for June 14, according to an official notification reported by Dawn.

Coverage Comparison

Dawn's reporting, which formed the basis of this article, consistently placed the announcement in the context of previous delays. The newspaper noted that general elections were originally scheduled for January 24, 2026, and local government polls for February 14, but both were postponed indefinitely days after the announcements. The postponement was attributed to heavy snowfall that cut off many areas, as reported by Dawn. This explanation was corroborated across multiple Dawn reports, which cited the region's difficult winter conditions as the primary cause.

Fourteen political parties had opposed holding elections in January or February due to these conditions, Dawn reported. Political leaders feared that postponing until June could further delay polls to September or October, especially given upcoming religious observances. The commission's decision to schedule polling for June 7 avoids the Muharram period, which begins around June 15 or 16 this year.

Key Claims

• Election date: The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly general elections will be held on June 7, 2026, across 24 constituencies, as announced by the GB Election Commission Secretariat in an official notification and confirmed by Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan, according to Dawn.
• Nomination timeline: Candidates can submit nomination papers from April 16 to 20, 2026. Public notices will be issued on April 14, the initial candidate list published on April 21, scrutiny runs from April 21 to 28, appeals decisions by May 9, revised list on May 10, withdrawal deadline May 11, and symbols allotted on May 12, per the election commission's schedule reported by Dawn.
• Local government polls: Local government elections, announced after a 20-year gap, are set for June 14, 2026, with a detailed schedule to be issued by April 20, as reported by Dawn.
• Candidate count: Over 650 candidates have filed nomination papers, with one Dawn report specifying 666 candidates. However, no woman candidate filed nomination papers for the assembly elections, a fact noted in the same report. This figure has not been independently verified by other outlets.
• Political reactions: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had demanded that the election schedule be issued immediately, stating that weather conditions had improved and that transparent elections were a constitutional requirement, as reported by Dawn. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif, in a televised address to the party's parliamentary board for GB, vowed that if elected, the party would focus on the region's development, highlighting past projects and potential, according to Dawn.
• Legal basis: The commission cited Section 57 and 58 of the Elections Act, 2017, as the legal basis for issuing the fresh election programme after withdrawing the earlier schedule on December 18, 2025, as stated in the official notification reported by Dawn.

Perspectives

Election Commission

The GB Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan, framed the postponement as a necessary response to harsh weather and repeatedly stated that preparations were ready once conditions improved. According to Dawn, the commission called upon voters to elect representatives and convened a multi-party conference to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections. The commission emphasized its commitment to conducting elections in a coordinated manner with political parties.

Political Parties

The PPP, as reported by Dawn, urged the immediate issuance of an election schedule, emphasizing the need to meet constitutional requirements. They noted improved weather and security conditions. The PML-N, through Nawaz Sharif, focused on development promises for Gilgit-Baltistan, referencing past projects and the region's potential, as reported by Dawn. Earlier, fourteen political parties had collectively opposed winter elections, citing inaccessibility due to snowfall, which influenced the commission's decision to postpone.

Regional Context

Gilgit-Baltistan's special administrative status means its assembly is a legislative body with limited autonomy, a context that was not elaborated in the reports but underlies the constitutional debates around election timing. The last assembly elections were held on November 15, 2020, with the PTI forming the government. However, in July 2023, the GB Chief Court disqualified then-Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid, leading to a coalition government formed by PTI dissidents, PPP, and PML-N legislators, as reported by Dawn. This political backdrop adds significance to the upcoming polls, which will be contested by 666 candidates, despite the notable absence of women candidates.

Note: This article is based on reporting by Dawn, Pakistan's leading English-language newspaper. While multiple reports from Dawn provided consistent information, some specific figures, such as the number of candidates and the lack of women candidates, come from a single report and have not been independently verified by other outlets.