Bilawal to arrive in Skardu as PPP ramps up G-B election campaign

Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is due to arrive in Skardu at 2pm on Sunday, where he will begin a series of organisational meetings ahead of the formal launch of his party's election campaign for the upcoming Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) elections.

According to the campaign schedule, Bilawal will meet PPP candidates and party office-bearers in Skardu before commencing public election activities on Monday.

He is expected to travel in a rally from Skardu Airport to Shah Villas, where he will stay overnight. On Monday morning, he will depart for Shigar, where he is scheduled to address an election rally. Following the event, he will return to Skardu in the evening.

The chairman is also expected to address a public gathering in Skardu on June 2 before travelling onwards to Gilgit later the same day.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has also intensified its campaign activities. Senior party leaders are scheduled to address public meetings at several locations across G-B on Sunday.

Khawaja Saad Rafique is expected to speak at a gathering in Skardu, while Murtaza Javed Abbasi will address supporters in Gilgit. Abid Sher Ali is scheduled to attend a rally in Diamer, while Abid Raza Kotla will address a public meeting in Gilgit.

Read: Mountain ballot: why G-B election matters to Pakistan

The G-B Assembly elections are due to take place on June 7, with political parties making a final push to mobilise voters across the region before campaigning officially ends later this week.

On Friday, senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser claimed that he was prevented from reaching Islamabad Airport and missed his flight to Skardu for the election campaign in G-B.

Following the incident, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi wrote to the chief justice of the Supreme Appellate Court of G-B, seeking immediate judicial intervention into the matter.

In April, the G-B Election Commission announced that general elections in the region would be held on June 7, 2026, after a four-month delay. Initially scheduled for January 24, 2026, the elections were postponed indefinitely due to harsh weather conditions in the region.