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24 of the 33 seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly 17 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 60.70% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Map of Gilgit-Baltistan showing Assembly Constituencies and winning parties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections were held on 12 November 2009 in the province of Gilgit-Baltistan for the first time to elect the first Assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan. [1]
The region of Gilgit-Baltistan was formerly known as Northern Areas. The Northern Areas were formed by joining Gilgit Agency and Baltistan regions in 1970 but the Northern Areas were ruled directly from Islamabad. In 2009 the Government of Pakistan passed an Autonomy Order known as Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order, 2009 which was signed by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari in September 2009. [2]
264 candidates out of which 99 from 10 different political parties and 165 independent candidates contested for 24 seats across Gilgit-Baltistan. [3]
| Party | Seats Contested | |
|---|---|---|
| PPP | 23 | |
| MQM | 20 | |
| PML-N | 15 | |
| PML-Q | 14 | |
| GBDA | 10 | |
| JUI-F | 6 | |
| BNF | 4 | |
| ANP | 3 | |
| JI | 2 | |
| PTI | 2 | |
| IND | 165 | |
Voting took place on 12 November 2009 on Morning 9 AM to 4 PM without any break. 1022 polling stations were set up across Gilgit-Baltistan out of which 200 polling stations were considered sensitive. 5000 law enforcement personnel was hired for security. [4] [5]
The Pakistan People's Party emerged as the largest party in the assembly by winning 20 seats out of 33. The assembly members took oath on 10 December 2009 and Syed Mehdi Shah became the 1st Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan unopposed. [6]
The administrative units of Pakistan comprise four provinces, one federal territory, and two disputed territories: the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan; the Islamabad Capital Territory; and the administrative territories of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan. As part of the Kashmir conflict with neighbouring India, Pakistan has also claimed sovereignty over the Indian-controlled territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh since the First Kashmir War of 1947–1948, but has never exercised administrative authority over either region. All of Pakistan's provinces and territories are subdivided into divisions, which are further subdivided into districts, and then tehsils, which are again further subdivided into union councils.
Balawaristan, is a term used for the historical region forming present-day Gilgit-Baltistan .The modern term was coined by the political party Balawaristan National Front, founded by Nawaz Khan Naji, in 1989. But it has its roots in the historical names Broshal, Dardistan and Bolor or Boloristan, with documented usage in Chinese sources from the 8th century AD. According to the present day activists, 'Balawaristan' includes Chitral, Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Nagar, Ishkoman, Punial and Yasin. The leader of BNF Nawaz Khan Naji declared that Balawaristan (Gilgit-Baltistan) is not part of Kashmir
Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, the Xinjiang region of China to the east and northeast, and the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast.
The Balawaristan National Front is a defunct political party which sought Independence for Gilgit-Baltistan, claimed as Balawaristan, as well as claims in certain regions of the Indian-Administered Kashmir, Kargil and Ladakh, as part of its historical territory.
The governor of Gilgit Baltistan is the appointed head of state of the provincial government in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The governor is designated by the prime minister of Pakistan and is normally regarded a ceremonial post. However, throughout the history of Pakistan, the powers of the provincial governors were vastly increased, every time the provincial assemblies were dissolved and the administrative role came under direct control of the governors.
The history of Azad Kashmir, a disputed part of the Kashmir region currently administered by Pakistan, is related to the history of the Kashmir region during the Dogra rule. Azad Kashmir borders the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south and west respectively, Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, and the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the east. The region is claimed by India and has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947.
General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim League, led by Shehbaz Sharif, and the Pakistan People's Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto. The PTI won the most seats in the National Assembly but fell short of a majority; the party subsequently formed a coalition government with several smaller parties. At the provincial level, the PTI remained the largest party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP); the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) retained its dominance in Sindh; and the newly formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) emerged as the largest party in Balochistan. In Punjab, the result was a hung parliament, with the Pakistan Muslim League (N) winning the most seats. However, after several independent MPAs joined the PTI, the latter became the largest party and was able to form a government.
The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan is the government of the administrative territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the 2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order, in which 14 districts come under its authority and jurisdiction. The government includes the cabinet, selected from members the Gilgit–Baltistan Assembly, and the non-political civil staff within each department. The province is governed by a unicameral legislature with the head of government known as the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, invariably the leader of a political party represented in the Assembly, selects members of the Cabinet. The Chief Minister and Cabinet are thus responsible the functioning of government and are entitled to remain in office so long as it maintains the confidence of the elected Assembly. The head of state of the province is known as the Governor. The terms Government of Gilgit–Baltistan or Gilgit–Baltistan Government are often used in official documents. The seat of government is in Gilgit, thus serving as the capital of the territory.
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) is the first-ever network of civil society networks in Pakistan dedicated to strengthening democracy through methodically-enacted observation and oversight of electoral, parliamentary, and governance processes. As many as 20 regional networks of over 500 tehsil-level civil society organizations are part of FAFEN, establishing its unmatched outreach to communities of people belonging to all classes, ethnicities, and religions across Pakistan. FAFEN’s work since its inception in 2006, has made it one of the most credible voices in the country for responsive, transparent, accountable, and efficient electoral, legislative, and local governance.So far, FAFEN has observed the General Elections in 2008, 2013 and 2018, Local Government Elections in 2015, and Legislative Assembly Elections in Gilgit-Baltistan in 2009 and 2015, with active support of its partner organizations as well as duly accreditation from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). FAFEN has earned an excellent reputation among various stakeholders, including the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and has been recognized as an authentic organization among political parties, civil society organizations, international community, academia, and the media. After the General Elections 2013 various political parties levelled multiple charges of rigging, on which the Supreme Court of Pakistan had formed a Judicial Commission to investigate the matter. FAFEN was the only civil society organization, which was summoned by the Supreme Court of Pakistan to share its election observation findings.
Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon is a Pakistani politician who served as the 7th Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan from 2018 to 2022.
The 2015 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections were held on 8 June 2015. Elections were held in 24 constituencies, each electing one member to the 2nd Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly. 269 candidates contested these elections, either representing one of the political parties of Gilgit-Baltistan or being an independent candidate.
The 2020 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections were held on 15 November 2020. Elections were held in 24 constituencies, each electing one member to the 3rd Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly. 330 candidates contested these elections, either representing one of the political parties of Gilgit-Baltistan or being an independent candidate.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly (GBA), officially known as Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA), is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is located in Jutial neighbourhood in the city of Gilgit, the capital of Gilgit-Baltistan. It was established under the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order in 2009 which granted the region self-rule and an elected legislature, having a total of 33 seats, with 24 general seats, 6 seats reserved for women and 3 reserved for Technocrats and Professionals.
Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan is a politician who served as the President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Gilgit-Baltistan from May 2022 to December 2023 and as the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, a territory in Northern Pakistan until he was disqualified from his post on 4 July 2023 by the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court. He was also a member of the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly from 25 November 2020 until his disqualification.
Nawaz Khan Naji is a nationalist politician who is a member of the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly since 2011. He elected 3rd time and completed heat trek. He was born in a village, Sherqilla, in Ghizer District. He graduated in political science from Karachi University Sindh. He came back to Gilgit-Baltistan and founded his own nationalist political party, Balawaristan National Front, on 28 December 1989.
The Balawaristan National Front, more commonly known as the BNF, is a Pakistani political party of Gilgit-Baltistan. It was founded by Nawaz Khan Naji in 1989. The party calls for Gilgit-Baltistan to be given autonomy while still remaining a part of the Pakistani federation, and to be declared the fifth province of Pakistan.
The Supreme Appellate Court Gilgit-Baltistan is the highest court of appeal in the region of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. It consists of a chief justice and two other judges. The court was established in 2009 under Gilgit-Baltistan 2009 and has the similar jurisdiction equal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Permanent Seat of the Court is at Gilgit, but the court also sits from time to time at Skardu Branch Registry.
The Azad Jammu & Kashmir Election Commission is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Kashmir council, local governments, and the office of President of Azad Kashmir, as well as the delimitation of constituencies and preparation of electoral rolls. In accordance with the principles set down in the Interim Constitution of AJK, the commission makes the necessary measures to guarantee that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in compliance with the law, and that corrupt practices are prevented.
The Election Commission Gilgit-Baltistan is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly and local governments, Gilgit-Baltistan Council, as well as the delimitation of constituencies and preparation of electoral rolls.
