Negotiations between PTI and its allied parties have failed to produce results, leading to a deadlock over joint candidates for the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Differences have emerged regarding joint candidates and party tickets. PTI’s central leadership has reportedly refused to contest the elections on the electoral symbols of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM).
Meanwhile, PTI has initiated contacts with two additional political parties as efforts continue to find an electoral arrangement ahead of the Gilgit-Baltistan polls.
The polls for Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly seats are scheduled to be held on June 7 with political activities and pre poll campaigns on its peak.
The final list of contesting candidates for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly General Elections 2026 has been released on Tuesday, revealing that a total of 403 candidates will contest elections across 24 constituencies. The official details show a huge presence of independent candidates, while women’s representation is comparatively low.
According to the Election Commission’s data, 272 independent candidates are contesting the polls, whereas 131 candidates are contesting on tickets of various political parties. Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) leads the race with 23 candidates, followed closely by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 22 candidates.
Apart from this, other political parties contesting the elections include Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) with 15 candidates, Pakistan Muslim League with 11, Islami Tehreek Pakistan and Pakistan Nazriyati Party with 10 candidates each, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) with 9 candidates. Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) has issued tickets to7 candidates, while Jamaat-e-Islami and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are contesting the polls with 6 candidates each.
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