10-way contest in Skardu by-polls today

Polling for the by-election in GBA-09, Skardu-III, is scheduled to take place today (Saturday), with around 33,000 voters eligible to cast their ballots in a contest featuring 10 candidates, including nominees of the PPP and PML-N, as well as an independent candidate.

The by-election was ordered by the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Election Commission after the G-B Supreme Appellate Court disqualified PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad, who had been declared the returned candidate from the constituency in the June general elections.

Nashad's son, Akhtar Abbas, is contesting the by-election on the PPP ticket, while Mohammad Ajmal is the PML-N candidate. Former minister Mohammad Saleem is contesting as an independent, among the 10 candidates who filed nomination papers.

According to the election schedule, polling will be held from 8am to 5pm. The G-B Election Commission has said arrangements for security, deployment of polling staff and other requirements have been completed.

G-B Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan said the commission was determined to conduct transparent, impartial and peaceful elections and provide voters with facilities to cast their votes without fear. District Returning Officer Hamza Murad said arrangements and the security plan had been finalised.

The constituency has 61 polling stations, of which 25 have been declared sensitive in Category A, 11 classified as medium under Category B, and 25 categorised as normal under Category C, according to the DRO. Personnel from the Police, G-B Scouts and armed forces have been for security, Murad said.

The contest comes after a legal dispute over Nashad's eligibility. His opponent, Zakir Hussain, challenged his eligibility to become a member of the assembly.