Vote counting begins across GB after polling ends

GILGIT: : Counting of votes is under way across Gilgit-Baltistan after polling concluded for 24 assembly seats on Sunday evening.

The voting process began at 8am and closed at 5pm without any extension. Heavy turnouts of both male and female voters were recorded at more than 1,000 polling stations across the territory.

A highly competitive multi-party contest is expected between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and independent candidates heavily backed by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is contesting without its formal electoral bat symbol.

According to data shared by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission, 404 candidates — comprising 396 men and eight women — are contesting for the 24 directly elected seats.

Total Number

Registered Voters:                         Over 958,000

Established Polling Stations:         1,389

Total Polling Booths 2,450

Booths Designated for Men           1,268

Booths Designated for Women      1,112

Combined/Joint Booths                  68

The political field shows the PPP has fielded 23 candidates, while the PML-N has put forward 22. Independent candidates form the largest bloc of competitors, with 266 individuals contesting the regional races.

Security and Campaign Pre-Tensions

The region has been under a strict security blanket to counter potential unrest. Authorities deployed thousands of police and paramilitary forces to maintain public order during the day.

The high-stakes nature of the election was underscored by a violent incident during the campaign lead-up, when unknown assailants opened fire on a convoy of PML-N supporters in the politically sensitive Diamer district.

No casualties were reported from that attack, but it prompted law enforcement to classify hundreds of booths as “sensitive” or “highly sensitive.”

A political party or coalition will require a simple majority of 17 general seats to form the next regional administration.

Initial consolidated results from individual constituencies are expected to emerge at late night or early Monday morning.

Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan said during a visit to polling stations that the commission was utilising all available resources to hold free, fair, and transparent elections. He said that voting began on time across most of the region’s 10 districts.

While polling remained largely peaceful, HUM TV correspondents reported minor scuffles between supporters of rival candidates in Skardu, which were quickly brought under control. Some delays and slow voting processes were also reported in parts of Astore.

Assembly structure and key figures

The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly comprises 33 seats. In addition to 24 directly elected seats, six are reserved for women and three for technocrats, allocated on the basis of proportional representation.

A simple majority of 17 seats is required to form the government.

The election is being seen as a key test for the PPP and PML-N, both of which have pledged constitutional reforms aimed at granting Gilgit-Baltistan full provincial status.

“I want to give the people of Gilgit-Baltistan the right to govern themselves and full constitutional rights,” PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said earlier in a video statement as polling began.

Counting is expected to begin later on Sunday evening, with unofficial results likely to emerge by Monday morning.

Under election rules, preliminary results from individual polling stations are being announced progressively, though official consolidated results from all 24 constituencies are not expected until Monday morning.

The results are expected to start trickling in late Sunday evening, with final unofficial tallies likely to be clear by Monday morning.