PPP emerges as single largest party in Gilgit-Baltistan polls as PML-N stages late recovery

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has emerged as the single largest political force in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly elections, clinching 10 out of the 24 general seats, according to final unofficial and preliminary results compiled on Monday morning.

Voting for the general seats was held on Sunday across the mountainous region, with ballot counting extending well into the early hours of Monday.

While early trends pointed toward a highly fragmented mandate, a strong late-night recovery allowed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to finish as the second-largest party in the region.

PPP consolidates dominance across Baltistan division

The PPP maintained a robust performance throughout the night to anchor its position at the top of the tally, largely driven by decisive victories in the Baltistan division.

Among the most notable outcomes was in GBA-12 (Shigar), where the PPP’s Imran Nadeem secured a commanding victory with 12,944 votes, comfortably defeating runner-up Raja Muhammad Azam, who polled 8,682 votes, and PML-N’s Tahir Shigri, who managed 6,098 votes.

The party successfully defended several of its traditional strongholds and picked up crucial wins in GBA-1 (Gilgit), GBA-4 and GBA-5 (Nagar), GBA-7 and GBA-9 (Skardu), GBA-10 (Roundu), GBA-11 (Kharmang), GBA-17 (Darel), and GBA-19 (Ghizer).

Following the announcement of the preliminary results, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari turned to social media to express his profound gratitude to the voters of Gilgit-Baltistan, signaling that his party would actively take the lead in reaching out to other political forces to form the incoming government.

PML-N surges late as independents fragment mandate

As the final counts trickled in from the region’s most remote and high-altitude polling stations, the PML-N witnessed a significant surge in its fortunes.

The party managed to secure six seats, registering critical wins in GBA-2 (Gilgit), GBA-13 and GBA-14 (Astore), GBA-18 (Tangir), GBA-20 (Ghizer), and GBA-22 (Ghanche).

The late-night influx of votes provided a substantial boost to the PML-N’s regional standing, placing it in a strong position for the upcoming post-election negotiations.

Meanwhile, independent candidates and smaller political groups captured a significant chunk of the legislature, collectively securing seven seats.

This includes five standalone independents and two candidates openly backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reflecting a heavily fractured mandate in districts such as Diamer and Yasin.

Additionally, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) managed to retain its presence in the assembly, with Mohammad Asim triumphing in GBA-8 (Skardu) after a fiercely contested race against the PPP.

With no single party reaching the 13-seat threshold required for an outright simple majority on general seats, focus has now shifted to political maneuvering in the capital.

While official validation from the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan is still awaited, intense negotiations are expected to begin immediately to form a coalition government.

The final composition of the 33-member assembly will be determined once the reserved seats for women and technocrats are filled.

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