PPP’s Amjad Hussain elected unopposed as Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister

GILGIT: Pakistan Peoples Party leader Advocate Amjad Hussain was elected unopposed as the new chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan after no other candidate filed nomination papers for the post.

With his election, Amjad Hussain becomes the fifth chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. He was elected to the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly from the GBA-1 constituency and is currently serving as president of the PPP’s Gilgit-Baltistan chapter.

The development came hours after PPP’s Imran Nadeem was elected speaker and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Malik Kifayat ur Rehman was elected deputy speaker, both without contest. According to the reported details, no rival nominations were submitted for either office within the prescribed time.

Members of the assembly and political leaders congratulated the newly elected office-bearers and expressed confidence that they would maintain democratic norms and ensure the House functions smoothly and impartially.

Assembly proceedings and party position

Earlier, the newly elected members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly took oath in a session administered by the outgoing speaker.

In the June 7 Gilgit-Baltistan polls, the PPP won 13 seats, while the PML-N secured nine and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party took six. Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen and a PTI-backed independent candidate won one seat each.

Following the election, the PML-N and the IPP decided to back the PPP in the contests for chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker. The PPP has already announced that it will form the government in Gilgit-Baltistan with the support of the PML-N and the IPP.

Amjad Hussain’s unopposed election as chief minister, along with the uncontested election of the speaker and deputy speaker, completes the initial selection of key offices in the new assembly.