Close contest expected between PPP, independent candidate in Saturday's Skardu by-election

GILGIT: A close contest between a PPP and an independent candidate is expected as the by-election in the GBA-09 (Skardu-III) constituency is set for Saturday.

The GB Election Commission had announced the by-election in the constituency after the GB Supreme Appellate Court had disqualified PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad, who had been notified as a returned candidate in the June polls.

Nashad’s son, Akhtar Abbas, will now contest the elections on PPP’s ticket, while Mohammad Ajmal will be in the field from PML-N. Former minister Mohammad Saleem, who is contesting as an independent, will also be among 10 candidates who have filed their nomination papers.

According to the election schedule, 33,000 voters will cast their ballots as polling will run from 8am to 5pm.

In a statement issued on Friday, GB Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan said that security, deployment of polling staff and other arrangements had been completed for the by-election GBA-09 (Skardu-III).

He expressed his determination to conduct “transparent, impartial and peaceful” elections and provide voters with the facilities to cast their vote without fear.

Khan also directed the institutions and officials concerned to fulfil their duties responsibly and effectively during the electoral process. “No kind of obstruction in the polling process will be tolerated,” he warned.

Analysts said a close contest between PPP’s Abbas and the independent candidate is expected. They said that the PPP candidate retains his father’s vote bank and could have the public’s sympathy after GB’s top court disqualified Nashad.

On the other hand, Saleem — winner from the same constituency in the 2020 GB general elections — had managed to be the runner-up in the June polls.

District Returning Officer Hamza Murad also told Dawn that all arrangements and the security plan had been finalised for the by-election, with the polling staff and paraphernalia also dispatched.

GBA-09 has a total of 61 polling stations, of which 25 have been declared “sensitive” in Category A, 11 termed “medium” under Category B, and another 25 deemed normal in Category C, the DRO said.

“Personnel from GB Police, GB Scouts and the armed forces have been deployed accordingly,” Murad added.

Separately, GB Chief Secretary Arshad Majeed and the GB CEC held a meeting on Friday to review the security plan, law and order and arrangements at polling stations, according to a statement.

“The chief election commissioner expressed his determination to conduct transparent, impartial and peaceful elections, while the chief secretary assured full cooperation from the provincial government,” it stated.

Shakoor Abdullah, a local journalist, told Dawn that voters in the constituency were enthusiastic to use their right to vote.

Currently, PPP has 13 seats in the GB Assembly, PML-N has nine, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) has six, while Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) and a PTI-backed independent occupy one seat each.

Fida Nashad’s disqualification saga

According to Forms 47 and 48 issued by the GB Election Commission, Nashad, the PPP candidate and veteran politician, had won a GB Assembly seat from GBA-9 (Skardu-III) in the June 7 general elections.

However, his opponent, Zakir Hussain, had challenged his eligibility to become a member of the assembly before the GB Supreme Appellate Court.

On June 19, GB Supreme Appellate Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan issued an order suspending the issuance of the result from the constituency until the case was decided.

In its verdict on July 9, the GB Supreme Appellate Court had disqualified PPP candidate Nashad for concealing his assets in his nomination papers, setting aside the GB Chief Court’s decision that had allowed him to contest the elections.

The court declared the GB Chief Court’s order dated May 25, 2026 “null and void” and upheld the election tribunal’s decision.

Nashad’s nomination papers were initially rejected by the returning officer (RO), prompting him to challenge the decision before the election tribunal. The tribunal, however, upheld the RO’s decision. Subsequently, Nashad challenged the tribunal’s verdict in the GB Chief Court, which allowed him to contest the elections.

After the verdict was issued by the GB Supreme Appellate Court, the GB Election Commission announced a by-election in GBA-09 on September 5.