By the people | Dialogue

prices in Gilgit-Baltistan reached their peak last week.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz appears to be able to secure a majority, either independently or as part of a coalition with some political and religious parties.

The British Assembly has 33 seats – 24 general, 6 reserved for women and 3 for technocrats. Electoral politics in the region has witnessed shifting alliances and legal turbulence. The last general elections were held in November 2020. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had emerged as the largest party then. PTI’s Khalid Khurshid was elected chief minister. However, his tenure ended abruptly in July 2023 when Britain’s chief court disqualified him. Following Khurshid’s disqualification, a coalition government was formed by a group of dissidents from the PTI, Pakistan People’s Party and PML-N, with Haji Gulbar Khan taking over as chief minister.

The assembly completed its five-year term on November 24, 2025. Under Section 48-A (2) of the Gilgit-Baltistan Government Ordinance, 2018, elections must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the assembly. Following this provision, President Asif Ali Zardari announced January 24, 2026 as the polling date. Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan then released the election schedule for both the UK Assembly elections and the long-delayed local elections.

However, extreme weather conditions in the mountainous region forced a postponement. In December 2025, following consultations with major political parties, the Electoral Commission announced the postponement of the elections. June 7 was finally announced as the new voting date.

According to the Electoral Commission, 403 candidates are in the running, including 131 on the basis of official party lists. Candidates include established politicians as well as emerging leaders. Notably, eight women are running for general seats – a modest but symbolically important development given Britain’s conservative socio-cultural context. Among the candidates, five are independent; one candidate each represents the PPP, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party and the Pakistan National Party.

The Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians fielded 23 candidates, closely followed by 22 from the PML-N. The Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party fielded 15 candidates; Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid 11; Islami Tehreek Pakistan and Pakistan Nazriyati Party 10 each; and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl 9. Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen nominated 7 candidates and Jamaat-i-Islami and Muttahida Qaumi Movement 6 each. The Awami Workers Party has 4 candidates in the running.

The most significant development concerns the PTI, which won the 2020 elections. Having not received a symbol from the Election Commission, the PTI was forced to field “independent” candidates in all seats. This created both organizational challenges and a narrative of victimization that the party aggressively emphasized in its campaign.

The most significant development concerns the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, the party that won the 2020 elections. Deprived of an electoral symbol by the Election Commission, the PTI was forced to field “independent” candidates in all seats.

Top leaders of the PML-N and PPP addressed large rallies and corner meetings across Britain. Nawaz Sharif visited the area and addressed a large public gathering. Criticizing the state of infrastructure, he expressed concern about poor roads and lack of development. “During our previous term in Britain, a lot of work was done on hospitals, power plants and hydroelectric projects. There will be more development work this time,” he told voters, urging them to support the PML-N because of its track record.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also campaigned extensively in Britain last week. Addressing the rallies, he framed the elections as an opportunity to establish constitutional rights. “The next generation of PPP workers will give you the right to govern… the UK will benefit from the constitutional protections, facilities and powers provided by the 18th Amendment,” he said. He urged voters to choose between a “people-friendly government” and an “anti-people” government, highlighting the PPP’s “three generations of pro-poor governments.”

The PTI alleged systematic obstacles to its campaign. Party leaders and content circulating on social media suggest that senior PTI leaders were not allowed to enter Britain, thereby preventing them from taking part in the rallies.

PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja condemned the restrictions, calling them “an attempt to curtail our constitutional right to free movement and political activity.”

“Such measures cannot suppress the voice of the people or their democratic aspirations. The nation has already made up its mind: it stands with Imran Khan and the cause of freedom,” Raja said. The PTI maintains that it has been denied a level playing field. This assertion is at the heart of his campaign narrative despite the presence of independents.

Political observers say the PML-N has a visible advantage. The presence of more than a dozen federal ministers and parliamentarians in Britain shows how seriously Islamabad is taking these elections. For its part, the PML-N rejects allegations of use of the state apparatus.

PPP leaders have repeatedly called for transparent elections. The demand appears to reflect lingering distrust of the 2020 elections, when the PPP claimed nine of the seats it won were “stolen” through rigging.

The three main candidates – the PML-N, the PPP and the independents supported by the PTI – demanded the support of voters at the start of the poll. Yet the final verdict lies with the British electorate, whose participation and choices will determine the final outcome.

The author is a journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]. He tweets at @waqargillani

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