ASTORE: The Election Commission has withheld the official result of the by-election for Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly’s seat GBLA-13 Astore-1.
The result was withheld after the PML-N candidate Rana Farman Ali filed a complaint allegedly that funds were used in development projects by the PTI.
The results of the by-election were announced after two days. PTI GB President Khalid Khurshid Khan announced that the Returning Officer has issued Form-47 of the by-polls declaring the party’s candidate as the winner.
PTI workers were holding a protest sit-in outside the office of the Returning Officer (RO) for not announcing the official result. The workers erupted in joy after the results were announced.
PTI candidate Muhammad Khurshid Khan won the by-election in Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly’s seat GBLA-13 Astore-1.
According to the results, the PTI candidate secured 6,164 votes, PML-N’s Rana Farman Ali received 4,899 votes and PPP’s Abdul Hameed Khan bagged 4,125 votes in the by-polls.
There were at least 14 candidates, including nine independent candidates in the run for by-election. Independent candidates Abdul Qayyum and Muhammad Shafi received 587 and 400 votes each respectively.
الحمدللہ!
استور ضمنی انتخاب فارم 47 نتیجہ#استور_کپتان_کا pic.twitter.com/76q8ibaOaf— Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan (@AbdulKhalidPTI) September 11, 2023
The polls were held on Saturday and PTI workers protested over the delay. They said the returning officer was not announcing the result, calling it unfair.
READ MORE: PTI holds protest for delaying Astore by-election result
PTI GB President Khalid Khurshid Khan has sent a message to party workers and leaders from all districts of Gilgit-Baltistan to reach Astore. He announced to continue the sit-in until the results were announced.
Khalid Khurshid said the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan and the District Returning Officer, Returning Officer should announce the result immediately.
PTI candidate Khurshid Khan won the by-election in Astore. He is the father of former GB chief minister Khalid Khurshid Khan who was disqualified from the seat.
The seat fell vacant after Gilgit-Baltistan’s former chief minister Khalid Khurshid was disqualified in a fake degree case.
The ECP has de-notified Khalid Khurshid and declared the seat vacant. Khalid Khurshid was been in office since December 2020 and is a close aide of PTI chairman Imran Khan.
