Web Desk: Unofficial results from elections to 24 general seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly placed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the lead on Sunday night, while opposition parties raised allegations of vote manipulation and protests surfaced in some constituencies.
Early tallies showed the PPP winning nine seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) followed with five seats, while independent candidates secured eight constituencies, including two backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen won one seat, according to initial counts.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly comprises 33 seats. Voters directly elect 24 lawmakers, while political parties fill six seats reserved for women and three for technocrats and professionals through proportional representation.
Officials postponed the elections by four months due to harsh winter conditions that made several mountainous areas inaccessible.
A total of 396 candidates contested the vote, including 266 independents. Only eight women ran for office, five of them without party affiliation.
Election authorities said 963,034 voters were registered across 10 districts, including 566,097 men and 396,937 women.
Despite acknowledging that voting remained largely orderly, the PPP voiced concern over the alleged failure to provide Form 45 to some of its polling agents. Form 45 records vote counts at each polling station and serves as a primary document for verifying results.
PPP Parliamentarians Secretary General Nayyer Hussain Bukhari said party representatives at certain stations were asked to leave without receiving the form. He said he formally approached the Chief Election Commissioner, urging immediate steps to ensure compliance with electoral laws and prevent confusion.
Bukhari warned that irregularities in the handling of result documents could undermine public trust. He called on the Election Commission to ensure that all polling agents receive mandatory paperwork promptly and in accordance with legal requirements.
Separately, PPP leader Shazia Marri said delays in releasing consolidated results were fueling suspicion at a sensitive post-election stage. She alleged that changes before polling day, including revisions to voter lists and the relocation of some polling stations, created difficulties for voters.
Citing the Astore-II constituency, she said officials moved a polling station in Bonji to a remote mountainous site, limiting access for residents. She argued that logistical hurdles disproportionately affected women and voters in far-flung communities.
Marri urged the Election Commission to meet its constitutional obligations and ensure the transparent and timely announcement of verified results.
Meanwhile, PTI rejected the emerging outcome and accused authorities of large-scale manipulation.
In a statement, the party said its candidates led in early counts until around 7 p.m., after which results from certain polling stations reflected unusually high turnout rates exceeding 80%. It also questioned ballot box totals ranging between 700 and 800 votes in individual cases, describing them as suspicious.
PTI further alleged that its polling agents were denied Form 46, another official record of vote reconciliation, which it said violated election rules and heightened concerns over result tampering.
The party claimed that in areas including Nagar, individuals linked to rival groups were caught with fake ballot papers. It also alleged pre-poll interference, including changes to voter lists, alterations in constituency boundaries and polling schemes, and pressure on opposition candidates and workers.
PTI demanded the immediate release of authenticated results from all polling stations, provision of Forms 45 and 46 to candidates, and a prompt investigation into stations with irregular turnout figures. It said it would pursue legal and constitutional avenues to protect what it described as the public mandate.
As counting continued, protests broke out in some constituencies, reflecting mounting tensions over the disputed results. Party supporters gathered in select areas to voice objections and demand transparency in the tabulation process.
The Election Commission has yet to issue a comprehensive response to the competing allegations. However, with both major parties pressing their claims, attention now turns to the final consolidation of results and the steps authorities will take to address concerns over electoral integrity.
Read more: Polls open across Gilgit-Baltistan as voters cast their ballots
