Polling begins in Gilgit-Baltistan general elections for 24 seats
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Polling began on Sunday morning for 24 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly amid tight security arrangements. The general elections for the GB’s legislative assembly are taking place after a four-month delay, which was attributed to harsh winter weather. The voting process in the region began at 8am on Sunday and is set to conclude at 5pm. The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly has a total of 33 seats — 24 of which are contested through direct elections, six are reserved for women, and three are reserved for technocrats and professionals. Political parties can nominate candidates for the reserved seats through proportional representation. A total of 396 candidates are contesting the elections, with 266 running as independents. Only eight women are contesting the elections, five of them as independent candidates. The total number of registered voters in the region’s 10 districts is 963,034, including 566,097 male and 396,937 female voters. PPP has 23 candidates, PML-N has 22, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) has 15, PML-Q has 11, Tehreek-i-Islami Pakistan has 10, Pakistan Nazriyati Party (PNP) also has 10, while nine candidates from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) are contesting the elections. Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) has seven candidates in the running. Six candidates each from Jamaat-i-Islami and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) will also contest the elections, along with four candidates from Awami Workers Party (AWP) and one nominee from Awami National Party (ANP). One candidate from Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) will also contest the election. Also, PPP, IPP, and PNP have nominated one woman each. Tight security As part of security arrangements, 6,000 Punjab police personnel and 2,000 from Islamabad police — including 150 personnel from its security division — have been assigned for election duty in the mountainous region. According to a list issued by the GB Election Commission, a total of 1,391 polling stations have been established across th