Former Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chief ministers from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have been defeated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates in the November 15 polls.
PML-N leader and former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Hafiz-ur-Rehman, who was contesting from the GBA-2 Gilgit II constituency, suffered an embarrassing defeat, securing third place in the elections.
The seat was won by the PTI’s Fattaullah Khan, who secured 6,696 votes, defeating the PPP’s Jamil Ahmed by two votes – the latter secured 6,694 votes.
On the other hand, Rehman could only manage 3,964 votes.
Former chief minister Syed Mehdi Shah of the PPP was defeated in GBA-7 by PTI candidate Raja Mohamed Zakaria Khan.
Shah secured 4,140 votes, while Khan got 5,288 votes.
The PML-N’s Mohamed Akbar Taban trailed the two with 1,429 votes.
The results for the Gilgit-Baltistan election are still being counted after the voting ended on Sunday.
A total of 745,361 voters have cast their ballots for 23 constituencies across 1,160 polling stations.
The Gilgit-Baltistan region’s administration said that 15,900 law enforcement personnel were deployed to ensure security.
Twenty-four seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly are up for grabs.
A total of 320 candidates contested in the polls.
Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Firaq has meanwhile rejected allegations of vote rigging, made by former premier and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, media reported.
In a statement, Firaq said that the region’s interim government provided an level playing field to the political parties contesting in the polls.
He added that the elections were held in a transparent and peaceful manner.
The official statement by the Gilgit-Baltistan government comes in the wake of Abbasi’s accusations that the interim government “managed” the polls.
The former prime minister alleged that several PML-N candidates were forced to leave the party.
The PTI is reportedly leading in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, winning nine seats according to unofficial results.
Independent candidates have so far managed to secure seven seats, followed by PPP candidates, who bagged four seats.
PML-N candidates have clinched two seats.
The Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), an ally of the PTI, emerged victorious in one of the total 23 constituencies up for grabs.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazlur (JUI-F) secured one seat.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has announced that he will be joining a protest against the Gilgit-Baltistan election result.
Bilawal tweeted yesterday: “My election has been stolen. I will be joining the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in their protest shortly.”