KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the PPP has emerged as the majority party in Gilgit-Baltistan and has been invited to form the next government in the region.
In a statement on Friday, the prime minister said the PML-N supports the PPP on the matter of government formation in GB.
He said the PML-N had decided to sit in the opposition in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, but its elected members would vote in favour of the PPP to enable it to form the government.
According to the prime minister, the decision was taken in keeping with democratic traditions and values. He added that the PML-N had always maintained a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation with its allied parties.
In response, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement and thanked him.
Bilawal said that acknowledging the PPP’s majority in GB was a continuation of democratic traditions and described the prime minister’s invitation to form the government as a positive step.
He added that, by mutual consensus, the positions of governor and deputy speaker in Gilgit-Baltistan would be allotted to the PML-N.
Earlier, on June 9, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar contacted Bilawal to congratulate him on the PPP’s performance in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and said that the PML-N had agreed that the single largest party would form the government.
Elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly were held on June 7, with the PPP emerging as the largest party.
However, the final outcome remains pending after the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission on June 9 ordered re-polling at 26 polling stations across five constituencies and barred returning officers from consolidating results until the fresh vote is completed. The re-polling is scheduled for June 15.
According to unofficial results so far, before re-polling, the PPP has secured 10 seats, followed by 7 for independents, 6 for the PML-N and 1 for MWM.
