Skardu by-election: Polling underway at 61 polling stations amid tight security

Skardu by-election: Polling underway at 61 polling stations against the backdrop of tight security.

Key points

• Jamil Nagri Published September 5, 2026 Updated September 5, 2026 11: 25am.
• The by-election was confirmed by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission after the GB Supreme Appellate Court disqualified PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad.
• GILGIT: Polling is at present underway at 61 polling stations in the GBA-09 (Skardu-III) constituency against the backdrop of tight security.
• State broadcaster PTV remarked 33, 985 voters would exercise their right to franchise, adding that special security arrangement had been produced for the occasion.
• While Mohammad Ajmal is contesting from the PML-N, nashad's son, Akhtar Abbas, is contesting the election on PPP's ticket.

Jamil Nagri Published September 5, 2026 Updated September 5, 2026 11: 25am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

GILGIT: Polling is at present underway at 61 polling stations in the GBA-09 (Skardu-III) constituency against the backdrop of tight security. The process began at 8am and will continue till 5pm.

In practice, the by-election was confirmed by the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission after the GB Supreme Appellate Court disqualified PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad. This person had been declared a returned candidate in the June general elections.

While Mohammad Ajmal is contesting from the PML-N, nashad's son, Akhtar Abbas, is contesting the election on PPP's ticket. Former minister Mohammad Saleem. This person is contesting as an independent, is additionally among 10 candidates who have filed their nomination papers.

Analysts remarked a close contest was anticipated between PPP's Abbas and independent candidate Saleem. They remarked Abbas could retain his father's vote bank and may benefit from public sympathy after Nashad's disqualification by the GB Supreme Appellate Court.

District Returning Officer (DRO) Hamza Murad informed Dawn on Friday that GBA-09 had 61 polling stations, of which 25 had been declared sensitive under Category A, 11 had been placed in Category B as medium-sensitive, and 25 had been classified as normal under Category C.

Jamil Nagri is a Gilgit-Baltistan-based correspondent for Dawn with over a decade of experience in journalism. His reporting and feature writing focus on CPEC, climate change, the environment, and adventure tourism. He can be discovered on X at @jamilnagri.

Taken together, the developments around skardu by-election: Polling underway at 61 polling stations amid tight security point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.