Bilawal thanks PM Shehbaz for support on G-B govt formation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his support in government formation in Gilgit-Baltistan.

During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, both leaders also discussed bilateral political cooperation and coordination between the ruling coalition partners.

Bilawal appreciated Pakistan’s positive contribution to a US-Iran peace agreement, and lauded the prime minister’s diplomatic engagement.

The two leaders also held talks on budget-related matters and the prevailing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir,.

PPP leaders Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal were also present.

Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan on Wednesday announced the long-pending verdicts on three election petitions, handing the PPP a boost by confirming 11 seats in the GB assembly.

The election chief declared PPP candidate Attaullah Khan the winner from GBA-16 Diamer-II, while upholding Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) victories in GBA-17 and GBA-13 Astore-I.

The decisions followed petitions filed by rival candidates challenging Form-47 results.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the chief election commissioner had earlier suspended the disputed results and reserved his verdict before issuing the final ruling on Wednesday.

With the latest notification, PPP now holds 11 seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, followed by PML-N with six seats.

Independent candidates — who joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) a day earlier — have secured four seats, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidates have won two and the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen one seat.

The election commission said notifications for successful candidates would be issued shortly, adding that six reserved seats for women and three technocrat seats would be allocated to parties based on proportional strength after final notifications.

According to the election commission, the June 7 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections saw a turnout of around 70 per cent, which it described as a strong expression of public confidence in the democratic process.

However, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which observed the elections, earlier expressed concern over the suspension of re-polling orders in multiple constituencies and the subsequent announcement of final results.

In a statement earlier, the HRCP warned that abrupt changes in electoral procedures risk reinforcing perceptions of political interference and undermining public trust in the electoral process.