President Asif Ali Zardari has officially approved the schedule for the Gilgit-Baltistan general elections. An official notification confirmed the presidential approval on Friday. The notification states elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly will be held on January 24, 2026.
Following this approval, the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan will issue a detailed schedule. Chief Election Commissioner Abid Ali confirmed the commission’s next steps. He added that the election watchdog will convene an all-party conference soon. This forum will facilitate consultations with all political stakeholders in the region.
The GB Assembly was dissolved on November 24, 2025, after completing its five-year constitutional term. This automatically dissolved the government of Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan and his cabinet. Following the dissolution, a caretaker administration was sworn in to oversee governance.
صدرِ پاکستان نے گلگت بلتستان اسمبلی کے عام انتخابات کے لیے 24 جنوری 2026 کو پول ڈے مقرر کردیا
الیکشن شیڈول کا اعلان آئینِ گلگت بلتستان آرڈر 2018 اور الیکشن ایکٹ 2017 کے تحت جاری
تمام متعلقہ اداروں کو انتخابی تیاریوں کی ہدایات جاری pic.twitter.com/UBdBe7QUtm
— Hussain Ahmed Ch (@HussainAhmedCh8) December 12, 2025Justice (retd) Yar Muhammad Nasir took oath as the caretaker chief minister. He is a former judge of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court. His interim government will manage the region’s affairs until a new elected government is formed.
The last general elections for the GB Assembly were held in November 2020 across 24 constituencies. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formed the government following that election. Khalid Khurshid was elected as the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan at the time.
However, in July 2023, the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court disqualified Chief Minister Khurshid. Following his removal, a new coalition government was formed in the region. This coalition included members from a disgruntled PTI faction, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Haji Gulbar Khan was subsequently elected as the new chief minister, serving until the recent dissolution.
