PPP’s Attaullah Shah edges past IPP's Imam Malik after counting of postal ballots for Diamer seat

The Election Commission has declared Attaullah Shah from the PPP as the winner of the GBA-16 (Diamer-II) seat in Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. The final results, released from Form-49, indicate Shah received 6618 votes, narrowly defeating the runner-up, Imam Malik of the IPP, by just 13 votes. Malik had originally contested the June elections as an independent candidate but later joined the IPP.

A tribunal had suspended Malik's membership last week, citing issues with the return of Form-49. The tribunal ordered the RO to complete the verification and counting of postal ballots by September 16, suspending Malik's membership in the meantime. The counting began on Sunday with tight security measures, but Malik and PML-N's Muhammad Anwar did not attend.

PPP candidate Khan and other candidates were represented by agents during the process. The proceedings were conducted under Section 235 of the Election Act, 2017, in their absence. The verification and counting were overseen by Gilgit Senior Civil Judge Fahad bin Naqeeb, Assistant Registrar Raj Mir, and Deputy Election Commissioner Muhammad Ali.

Malik's supporters stood outside the EC Secretariat throughout the night, while PPP supporters gathered outside to celebrate Shah's victory. The GB Supreme Appellate Court is set to hear Malik's appeal against the election tribunal's decision to suspend his membership on Monday. Shah's counsel, Islamuddin Advocate, informed Dawn that Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan will determine the case's admissibility.