PPP-led coalition poised to form govt in G-B as lawmakers take oath

GILGIT: Thirty newly elected members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly were sworn in on Monday, clearing the way for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to form a coalition government in the strategically important region.

The lawmakers took their oaths of office during the first session of the region’s sixth assembly, administered by the outgoing speaker, Nazir Ahmed Advocate.

The session convened at 9am before being adjourned until 3pm, at which point the assembly is scheduled to elect its new speaker, deputy speaker, and the leader of the house (chief minister).

Out of the assembly’s 33 total seats, 30 members took the oath. These included 21 lawmakers elected on general seats, six women on reserved seats, and three technocrats.

Official notifications for the remaining three general constituencies — one in Skardu and two in Diamer — have been withheld due to ongoing judicial orders and electoral disputes, leaving three seats vacant for the time being.

Following the June 7 regional election, the composition of the newly sworn-in legislative assembly stands at 13 members from the Pakistan PPP, nine from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), six from the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), one from the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) and one PTI-backed independent lawmaker.

The PPP is set to comfortably secure the region’s top offices after forging a power-sharing agreement with rival mainstream parties. Both the PML-N and the IPP have formally announced their support for the PPP-led coalition in the upcoming assembly votes.

The PPP has nominated Amjad Hussain Advocate as its candidate for chief minister, while Imran Nadeem of the PPP is expected to be elected as the new speaker.

Under the coalition consensus, the office of the deputy speaker will go to PML-N’s Malik Kifayat.