GILGIT-BALTISTAN , July 13, 2023: The new chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) will be elected today (Thursday).
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced their support for Haji Gulbar Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) forward bloc for the post, while three members of the PTI like-minded group who had submitted their nomination papers for the post of chief minister late at night have announced to boycott the election.
The chief minister will be elected at 12 noon. Candidates can withdraw nomination papers till 10 am today (Thursday). The PTI ally in the GB Assembly said that the majority in the assembly was forcibly converted into a minority.
Like-minded group members who boycotted election of the chief minister said that their fellow assembly members were lured by schemes worth tens of millions of rupees. They further alleged that fellow members had also been threatened with arrests and lawsuits for not cooperating.
They said they will play the role of opposition in the assembly effectively and vigorously. Raja Azam Khan, Javed Manwa and Raja Zakaria Muktoon of the PTI like-minded group were in the race for chief minister slot.
On the other hand, Speaker GB Assembly has rejected the resignation of opposition leader Amjad Hussain Advocate. He said that Amjad Hussain Advocate had tendered his resignation in haste during the current political conflict.