ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated its provincial president Amjad Hussain “Advocate” for the post of chief minister of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, the party said in a statement on Sunday.
The development took place hours after GB’s election commission announced that the PPP had won the highest number of seats, nine, in the recently held general elections in the region.
“[PPP] Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has decided to appoint Pakistan Peoples Party provincial president Amjad Advocate as the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan,” the party said in a statement.
The party said Bbhutto-Zardari spoke to Hussain over the phone, during which he issued instructions to the PPP member on government formation and implementing the people’s constitutional and economic rights.
Thousands of people took to polling stations across GB on Jun. 7 to cast their votes. However, results in several constituencies remained pending as election authorities awaited completion of partial re-polling in selected polling stations.
The delay followed complaints by multiple political parties regarding irregularities and procedural concerns in the elections in the semi-autonomous region, home to some of the world’s highest peaks and a key gateway for trade between Pakistan and China.
The GB election commission on Friday issued final election results, with the PPP winning nine seats, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with six and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) with four seats.
The election commission also notified the reserved seats, which increased the PPP’s strength in the 33-member assembly to 13 seats, PML-N to nine seats, and IPP to six seats.
The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen party secured one seat, while an independent candidate also won the election. Official results are still pending in three constituencies due to ongoing legal and electoral proceedings.
GB lies in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, disputed between India and Pakistan. India has always claimed that it has the right to govern all territories in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
Pakistan rejects these claims and accuses India of forcefully occupying the Jammu and Kashmir region since 1947. It also lays claim to all parts of Kashmir administered by India since both countries secured freedom from the British in 1947.
The PML-N, which is currently in power in Islamabad, has also been in talks with the PPP to form a coalition government in the northern region.
