Schedule for G-B general election announced

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has approved schedule for holding general election in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on January 24.

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shehbaz Khan had sent his recommendations to the president, in line with the constitution, to hold elections within 60 days.

The president has now given final approval for elections to take place on January 24.

Last month, the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly was dissolved after completing its five-year constitutional term, and Justice (retd) Yar Muhammad Khan was appointed caretaker chief minister.

As Chairman of the GB Council, the prime minister had approved the appointment of Justice (retd) Yar Muhammad Nasser as caretaker chief minister, and the Cabinet Division issued the formal notification.

The caretaker government will conduct the upcoming elections, which will be held under the federal Election Act 2017. The government’s five-year term had concluded at midnight, after which administrative affairs were handed over to the caretaker setup.

G-B election commission announces schedule

The Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan (ECGB) has announced the schedule for the 2026 general election.

According to the G-B election commission, nomination papers for candidates will be submitted from December 15 to 22, with the preliminary list of candidates to be published on December 23.

The last date for scrutiny has been set on December 30, and appeals can be filed until January 3, 2026.

The appellate tribunal will announce its decisions by January 10, and the revised candidate list will be issued on January 11.

Candidate withdrawals will be accepted, and the final list will be published on January 12, with election symbols allotted on January 13.

The G-B election commission has also appointed District Returning Officers (DROs) for all districts to ensure smooth conduct of the polls. Key appointments include:

Gilgit: Ameer Hamza

Skardu: Khurshid Ahmed

Diamer: Suhail Ahmed Khan

Ghazir: Luqman Hakeem

Astore: Minhaj Ali Raja

Hunza: Nizamuddin (Deputy Commissioner)

Nagar: Munhas Hussain

Ghanche: Muhammad Ishaq

Kharmang: Muhammad Sharif (Additional Sessions Judge)

Shigar: Manzoor Hussain

The GB election commission has said that the elections will be conducted in a transparent, organised, and lawful manner, and that all election preparations across the districts have been further accelerated to ensure smooth operations.