Skardu: Vote counting has begun in Gilgit-Baltistan after polling for the regional assembly concluded on schedule. According to the Election Commission and local sources, unofficial and non-final results from various constituencies are now being released.
A total of 403 candidates contested for 24 general seats in the GB Assembly. Polling started early in the morning and continued without interruption until 5 PM. Voters turned out in large numbers, with long queues seen outside polling stations across Gilgit, Baltistan, Diamer, and Ghizer divisions.
Early unofficial trends show a tight race in Gilgit’s urban constituencies. In GBA-1 Gilgit-1, PPP’s Amjad Hussain is leading with 3,600 votes from 28 of 80 polling stations, while PML-N’s Muhammad Shafiq-ud-Din follows with 2,300 votes. In GBA-2 Gilgit-2, PML-N’s Hafeez-ur-Rehman is ahead with 4,129 votes from 27 of 91 stations, against PPP’s Jamil Ahmad with 2,695 votes. GBA-3 Gilgit-3 also shows a close fight, with PPP’s Aftab Haider Advocate at 3,070 votes and independent Syed Sohail Abbas close behind at 2,965 votes from 32 stations.
Skardu division is witnessing multi-party competition. In GBA-7 Skardu-1, Istehkam Pakistan Party’s Raja Jalal Hussain Khan leads with 2,000 votes from 14 of 31 stations, while PPP’s Syed Tauqeer Mehdi has 1,792 votes. Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen’s Muhammad Kazim is ahead in GBA-8 Skardu-2 with 1,228 votes. PPP candidates also lead in GBA-9 and GBA-10 Skardu. In Hunza, Nagar, and Ghanche, independent candidates have taken early leads, with Niknam Karim in GBA-6 Hunza and Asad Shafiq in GBA-24 Ghanche-3 securing strong margins.
The contest is equally intense in Astore and Diamer. GBA-13 Astore-1 shows PPP’s Fahad Hanif leading with 2,130 votes to PML-N’s Rana Farman Ali at 1,853 votes from 20 stations. In GBA-14 Astore-2, PML-N’s Rana Muhammad Farooq and IPP’s Shams-ul-Haq Lone are separated by just 7 votes. Diamer’s four constituencies are split between JUI-F, PML-N, IPP, and PPP candidates based on partial results.
The Election Commission stated that these figures are unofficial and based on incomplete counts. Final results will be announced only after all polling stations are tallied. Counting is still in progress and the complete picture for GB’s 24 seats, plus reserved seats for women and technocrats, will emerge in the next few hours.
