Gilgit-Baltistan votes in legislative assembly elections on Sunday; 24 constituencies up for grabs

Lead

Voters in Gilgit-Baltistan went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new legislative assembly, after a four-month delay caused by harsh winter weather. The election, held across 24 constituencies, came as Pakistan and India traded statements over the region's status, and as parties campaigned on promises of greater provincial rights and control over local resources.

Coverage comparison

Reporting from Dawn, Pakistan's English-language daily, detailed the logistics and political context of the vote. One report noted that the polls were originally scheduled for January but were postponed due to harsh weather, while a separate article explained that the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission had announced a 48-hour campaign blackout before polling day, citing election laws. Another Dawn story focused on Pakistan's rejection of India's remarks about the elections, describing them as "baseless" and part of a "carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction."

The coverage also included an editorial commentary that examined the election's broader significance. That piece highlighted that themes such as the region's provincial status, the rights of its people, and ownership of indigenous resources dominated the campaign. It expressed hope for a healthy turnout and warned against repeating patterns seen in Pakistan's 2024 general election, including one party's candidates being expected to run without a single identifiable symbol and leadership complaints of campaign difficulties.

Key claims

Election details and candidates

According to a report by Dawn, the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission said there are 958,480 registered voters in the region, including 503,772 male and 454,708 female voters. A total of 396 candidates are contesting the election, with 266 running as independents. Only eight women are contesting, five of them as independent candidates.

Party-wise, 23 candidates from the PPP are contesting, while the PML-N has fielded 22 candidates, with each party nominating one female candidate. Additionally, 15 candidates represent the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), and 10 run on the PTI ticket. Other parties with candidates include the Pakistan Nazaryati Party (10), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) (9), Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) (7), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) (6 each), and the Awami Workers Party (4). One candidate each runs for the Awami National Party (ANP), the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), and the PML-Q.

The same report stated that polling would run from 8am to 5pm on Sunday and that Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan had issued a notification delegating first-class magistrate powers to district returning officers and returning officers.

Campaign blackout and security

Dawn also reported that the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission announced the end of election campaigning 48 hours before polling day. According to a press release, under Section 182 of the Elections Act 2017 and the Code of Conduct, no election-related activities would be allowed during that period. The ban, effective from midnight on June 5, prohibited public meetings, rallies, processions, gatherings, use of loudspeakers, and any form of canvassing. The commission warned that violations would be met with action under the Elections Act 2017 and other relevant laws, and said it was making arrangements for "peaceful, free, fair and transparent elections."

Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan, as quoted in separate reporting, assured that all arrangements had been finalised, with strict security measures in place.

Pakistan-India exchange

According to a Dawn report, Pakistan's Foreign Office "categorically rejected" India's remarks about the elections, calling them "baseless." Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi said India remained in "illegal occupation of the internationally recognised disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir" and termed New Delhi a "global leader in propagating fake narratives and tendentious propaganda."

The statement came after India's foreign ministry objected to the elections, claiming that "the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the so-called 'Gilgit-Baltistan', are integral and inalienable parts of India." Pakistan's Foreign Office reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the longest unresolved item on the UN Security Council agenda and originated from India's "forcible and unlawful occupation" of the state in 1947. It added that the only just settlement lay in implementing relevant UNSC resolutions guaranteeing Kashmiris the right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices.

Perspectives

Pakistan's Foreign Office

Islamabad rejected India's characterisation of Gilgit-Baltistan as part of India, calling the remarks baseless and part of a propaganda effort. Pakistan's Foreign Office reiterated its position that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is unresolved and that India's claims cannot divert attention from alleged human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India's Ministry of External Affairs

New Delhi asserted that Gilgit-Baltistan is an integral part of India, objecting to the elections being held there. India's foreign ministry statement framed the region, along with the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, as inalienable parts of India.