The Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court suspended election results in three constituencies on Friday, delaying government formation after the June 7 polls.
Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan issued orders in cases linked to GBA-9 Skardu, GBA-15 Diamer-I and GBA-17 Diamer-III.
The court upheld the disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad in GBA-9 Skardu.
The returning officer had earlier disqualified him for failing to declare assets in his nomination papers.
The regional election commission had declared Nashad the winner after a recount. It had also issued Forms 48 and 49 before the court stopped the result.
In GBA-17 Diamer-III, the court suspended the PPP candidate Mohammad Naseem’s result. An opposing candidate had challenged a June 15 order issued in his favour by GB Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan.
The court also stopped the result of independent candidate Dilpazeer Khan in GBA-15 Diamer-I. A petition had challenged the decision to declare him the winner without a re-poll.
Meanwhile, the consolidated result of GBA-16 Diamer-II could not be prepared. Supporters of independent candidates gathered outside the returning officer’s office and tried to block postal ballot counting.
Read: GB Election Chief Settles 14 Petitions, Defers Two Seats
Raja Shahbaz Khan told Dawn that he had disposed of the petition and ordered the consolidation of the results. He said the returning officer must count postal ballots and prepare Forms 48 and 49.
The Pakistan Peoples Party has emerged as the largest party with 12 seats in the 24-member GB Assembly.
Six women’s reserved seats and three technocrat seats will be allotted according to each party’s general-seat strength.
