Skardu by-election: Polling concludes at 61 stations amid tight security
GILGIT: Polling concluded at all 61 polling stations in the GBA-09 (Skardu-III) constituency amid tight security. Polling had begun at 8am and continued until 5pm. State broadcaster PTV said 33,985 voters would exercise their right to franchise, adding that special security arrangement had been made for the occasion. A local holiday was declared in the constituency. According to the notification…
Polling concluded at all 61 stations in the GBA-09 (Skardu-III) constituency, ensuring a tight security presence throughout. The voting process commenced at 8am and concluded by 5pm, with 33,985 voters exercising their franchise, according to state broadcaster PTV. A local holiday was declared in the constituency to facilitate voters and ensure a smooth and peaceful polling process.
The by-election was announced by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission following the disqualification of PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad, who had been declared a returned candidate in the June general elections. Nashad's son, Akhtar Abbas, is contesting the election on the PPP's ticket, while Mohammad Ajmal is representing the PML-N.
Independent candidate Mohammad Saleem, who was previously the minister, is among the 10 candidates who have filed their nomination papers. Experts believe a close contest is expected between Abbas and Saleem, with the latter potentially benefiting from public sympathy due to Nashad's disqualification by the GB Supreme Appellate Court.
District Returning Officer Hamza Murad informed Dawn that GBA-09 had 61 polling stations, of which 25 were categorized as sensitive (Category A), 11 as medium-sensitive (Category B), and 25 as normal (Category C).
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
