GILGIT: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as the largest party in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly elections held on Sunday, according to unofficial and preliminary results, with party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari declaring that the PPP was on course to form the next regional government.
As counting continued and official results remained pending, preliminary results from constituencies across the region showed the PPP secured 10 seats.
According to unofficial and preliminary results, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was in second place with six seats, while independent candidates — including two backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — secured victories in seven constituencies. Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) won one seat, the results showed.
With the 24-member Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly requiring at least 13 seats for a simple majority, no party has secured enough seats to form a government on its own, according to the unofficial results.
The PPP, which is leading the race with 10 seats, will need the support of independent lawmakers and potentially smaller parties to reach the majority threshold and form the next government.
Reacting to the outcome, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the party’s election symbol was proving popular across the region.
Gilgit-Baltistan mein teeron ki barish. The Pakistan Peoples Party is emerging as the single largest party and we will be attempting to form government. I am grateful to the people for their trust and congratulations to Jiyalas on their victory.
— Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 7, 2026
“Arrows are raining in Gilgit-Baltistan,” Bilawal said, referring to the PPP’s electoral symbol.
He thanked voters for their support and said the party would make every effort to form the government in the region.
Polling began at 8 am and continued uninterrupted until 5 pm across the mountainous territory.
Gilgit-Baltistan: peoples party supporters are celebrating across various constituencies following the election results. Final results yet not concluded and counting is ongoing #GilgitBaltistan #Gilgit #Elections pic.twitter.com/mESxmfZc80
— Sajjad Tarakzai (@SajjadTarakzai) June 7, 2026
A total of 403 candidates contested the elections, including 396 men and eight women. The region had 963,034 registered voters, comprising 566,097 men and 396,937 women.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz stated that polling was conducted peacefully and witnessed significant participation, particularly among women voters.
Speaking to reporters after voting concluded, Raja Shahbaz said he personally visited polling stations to review arrangements and monitor the process.
“The election process has been completed in a peaceful environment,” he said, adding that the overall law and order situation remained satisfactory throughout the day.
PPP Records Key Wins
According to unofficial and preliminary results, PPP candidate Amjad Hussain won the GBA-1 Gilgit-I seat with 10,594 votes, defeating PML-N’s Muhammad Shafiq Uddin.
In GBA-4 Nagar-I, PPP’s Muhammad Ali Akhtar secured victory over Islami Tehreek Pakistan’s Muhammad Ayub Waziri.
PPP’s Zulfiqar Ali Murad won GBA-5 Nagar-II, while Syed Tauqeer Mehdi secured victory in GBA-7 Skardu-I.
The party also secured victories in GBA-9 Skardu-III, where Fida Muhammad Nashad won the seat; GBA-10 Skardu-IV, won by Nasir Ali Khan; GBA-12 Shigar, won by Imran Nadeem; and GBA-19 Ghizer-I, where Syed Jalal Shah emerged victorious.
In GBA-11 Kharmang, PPP’s Iqbal Hassan was reported to be leading as vote counting continued.
Independents Make Strong Showing
Independent candidates also performed strongly across the region.
Syed Sohail Abbas won GBA-3 Gilgit-III, while Naiknam Karim secured victory in GBA-6 Hunza.
Aman Ali won GBA-21 Ghizer-III, Anwar Ali secured GBA-23 Ghanche-II and Asad Shafiq emerged victorious in GBA-24 Ghanche-III.
MWM, PML-N Secure Seats
In GBA-8 Skardu-II, MWM candidate Muhammad Kazim defeated PPP’s Muhammad Ali Shah, securing 10,474 votes against 10,118.
PML-N’s Abdul Jahan won GBA-20 Ghizer-II with 6,917 votes, narrowly defeating PPP’s Nazir Ahmed, who secured 6,758 votes.
Unofficial results also indicated a PML-N victory for Muhammad Ibrahim Sanai in GBA-22 Ghanche-I.
Large Electoral Exercise
The Election Commission established 1,391 polling stations across Gilgit-Baltistan for the elections. Of these, 488 were categorised as normal, 349 as sensitive and 551 as highly sensitive.
PPP fielded the highest number of candidates, with 23 contestants, followed by PML-N with 22 candidates and 19 independents backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) fielded 15 candidates, while the Pakistan Nazriyati Party (PNP) nominated 11. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) fielded nine candidates each.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen nominated seven candidates, while Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) fielded six candidates apiece. The Awami Workers Party (AWP) contested four seats.
With official results still awaited, the preliminary outcome indicates that the PPP is positioned to emerge as the largest political force in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and is likely to lead efforts to form the next government.
Editor’s Note: All election results cited in this report are unofficial and preliminary, based on vote counts reported by local media and polling stations. The results remain subject to confirmation by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission, which is expected to announce the official results later today.
