Pakistan holds illegitimate Gilgit-Baltistan elections amid heavy protests & rigging claim

Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continued to lead in eight of the 24 constituencies of the illegitimate Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly elections as of 9:00 am on Monday, as per unofficial results.

As of 9:00 am, Raja Muhammad Zakeria Khan won the GBA-7, Skardu-I constituency with 5,288 votes, while Syed Amjad Ali won the GBA-11, Kharmang constituency with 6,612 votes. Additionally, Shamsul Haq Lone won the GBA-14, Astore-II constituency with 5,418 votes and Raja Azam Khan won the GBA-12, Shigar constituency with 10,349 votes, according to unofficial results.

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Meanwhile, independents claimed victory in six constituencies. As per the local media, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) took lead in five constituencies, with unofficial victories in four constituencies. Jamil Ahmed won the GBA-2, Gilgit-II constituency with 6,848 votes; Muhammad Ismail won the GBA-24, Ghanche-III constituency with 6,204 votes. Besides this, Amjad Hussain won the GBA-I, Gilgit-I constituency with 11,178 votes and GBA-4, Nagar-I constituency with 11,178 votes.

Initial results also showed Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) candidate having won the GBA-8, Skardu-II constituency with 7,842 votes. On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) took lead in two constituencies, while the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (JUI-F) was ahead in one constituency.

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Elections in Gilgit-Baltistan

The voting process in began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm without any interval on Sunday. The elections were held amidst relentless protest by the people of Gilgit Baltistan against the Pakistan government's "illegal occupation" in the region. India has slammed Pakistan for its decision to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and said any action to alter the status of the militarily-occupied region has no legal basis.

PPP had demanded the disqualification of the ruling PTI candidates from the election alleging rigging. The party’s Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the election commission must not fail the people and ensure that every vote is counted. PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman had also expressed concern over the "deliberate restrictions on women's voting" in the Gilgit Baltistan Election 2020 and alleged rigging at the polling stations. The polls in Gilgit-Baltistan were to be held on August 18, but Pakistan's election commission on July 11 postponed them due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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(With inputs from agency)