Gilgit-Baltistan's Chief Election Commissioner, Raja Shahbaz Khan, has fixed December 5 as the polling day for municipal corporation seats in Chilas, Skardu and Gilgit. He announced the revised schedule at a press conference on Thursday at the GB Election Commission Secretariat. The other local government bodies in the region will not vote until April next year, so the December date applies only to the three city corporations.
What the revised schedule sets out
The commissioner said the Gilgit-Baltistan local government elections would be held in two phases. In the first phase, polling for municipal corporations is set for Chilas, Skardu and Gilgit on December 5. Once elected, members of each corporation will choose a mayor and a deputy mayor.
Public notices for the municipal corporation polls will be issued on October 24, and nomination papers can be filed from October 26 to 29. The second phase covers district councils, municipal committees and union councils. The CEC said elections in seven districts and remote areas had been put off to April because of harsh weather and snowfall. He named the seven districts as Hunza, Nagar, Ghizer, Astore, Kharmang, Ghanche and Shigar, which will have district councils, union councils and municipal committees.
What the amended law changes
The CEC said the government has finished amending the 2014 Local Government Act, which clears the way for polls that had not been held in the region for 22 years. Under the amended law, the earlier seven categories of local bodies have been reduced to four: district councils, union councils, municipal committees and municipal corporations. Independent candidates can now contest, although earlier polls were to be held on a party basis.
District councils, union councils and municipal committees will have chairmen and vice-chairmen, while municipal corporations will have mayors and deputy mayors. All four types will be elected under a multi-ward system, which the commissioner said would make the process simpler. A 17 per cent quota for women applies in all local bodies.
Why the polls kept getting delayed
The CEC said he first proposed holding the polls in February, after announcing a schedule in December last year, but the government asked for a delay because of winter weather. A revised schedule was then prepared for August, with polling first planned for September. The government later asked for more time to amend the Act, which led to another postponement. The CEC said the amendments are now finalised and that he discussed the new timetable with Chief Minister Amjad Hussain.
The CEC credited the Pakistan Peoples Party government with introducing the GB Local Government Act 2026, and said the party also deserves credit for holding polls under the same law. The announcement refers both to amendments to the 2014 Act and to the 2026 Act, and the account does not explain how the two are linked.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Last year (December): the CEC announced a schedule and proposed February polls.
- February 14, 2026: the original polling date, which was postponed because of winter weather.
- August this year: a revised schedule set polling first for September, but it was postponed again while the Act was amended.
- Thursday: the CEC announced the revised schedule, with December 5 polling for the municipal corporations.
- October 24 and October 26 to 29: public notices and nomination filing for the municipal corporations.
- December 5 (municipal corporations) and April next year (other local bodies): polling dates.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Gilgit-Baltistan mein shehri corporations ke elections 5 December ko honge, jo Gilgit, Skardu aur Chilas mein honge. District councils aur union councils ke elections April mein hongay. Nomination papers 26 se 29 October tak jama ho sakte hain. Qanoon mein tabdeeli ke baad aazad umeedwar bhi hissa le sakte hain, aur khawateen ke liye 17 fisadi quota rakha gaya hai.
