Gilgit: Voting begins in GBLA-13 by election

ASTORE: Voting for the Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly constituency GBLA-13 Astore-1 commenced at 8 AM on Saturday. The polling is set to continue uninterrupted until 5 PM.

The seat became vacant following the disqualification of former Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid in a fake degree case. A total of 14 candidates are competing in the election, with nine running independently.

Key contenders in the Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly constituency, GBLA-13 Astore, include Khursheed Ahmed Khan representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Rana Farman Ali from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Abdul Hameed Khan of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). In addition, Inayatullah Mir is vying for election under the banner of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), and Attaullah is running as a candidate for Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan.

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The constituency boasts a total of 33,378 registered voters, comprising 18,231 male voters and 15,147 female voters. Stringent security measures have been implemented, with 363 officials deployed to address any potential disturbances.

Astore district, with a population exceeding 100,000, primarily relies on agriculture and trade for its livelihood.