GB general elections postponed due to severe weather

ISLAMABAD: Days after announcing the election schedule, the Gilgit Baltistan chief election commissioner on Thursday announced the postponement of general elections in the region due to severe weather conditions.

The decision was taken following an all-parties conference convened by the Election Commission of Gilgit Baltistan, where political parties reviewed the impact of severe weather on the electoral process.

The development comes after President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday approved the schedule for the upcoming general elections in Gilgit Baltistan.

Addressing the conference, Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan said the decision to postpone the polls was made in line with the majority opinion of political parties. He said elections could not be held under the prevailing circumstances as harsh winter conditions would create serious difficulties for voters, candidates and election staff.

The chief election commissioner recalled that the election schedule had been issued on January 24, 2026, but added that conducting polls during peak winter would be impractical across the mountainous region.

He said 13 political parties demanded a postponement of the elections, while six parties were in favour of holding polls as per the existing schedule.

The Gilgit Baltistan Assembly was dissolved on November 24 after completing its five-year constitutional term, resulting in the dissolution of the cabinet of Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan.

Justice (retd) Yar Muhammad Nasir, a former judge of the Gilgit Baltistan Chief Court, was subsequently sworn in as caretaker chief minister.

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It may be recalled that the last Gilgit Baltistan Assembly elections were held in November 2020 across 24 constituencies, following which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf formed the government and Khalid Khurshid was elected chief minister.

However, in July 2023, the Gilgit Baltistan Chief Court disqualified Khurshid. After his removal, a coalition comprising members of a dissident PTI faction, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz formed a new government and elected Haji Gulbar Khan as chief minister.