GILGIT(National Times)- PPP candidate Mohammad Naseem and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer, from the GBA-17 Diamer-III and GBA-15 Diamer-I constituencies, respectively, retained their seats after re-polling was held at nine polling stations on Sunday.
According to unofficial results, after re-polling at eight stations in GBA-17 Diamer-III, PPP candidate Mohammad Naseem won the seat by securing 10,714 votes, while his opponent, JUI-F candidate Rehmat Khaliq, bagged 6,990 votes.
Meanwhile, after re-polling at one female polling station in GBA-15 Diamer-I, according to the Forms 47 and 48 issued by the Election Commission, IPP candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer secured 6,033 votes, while his opponent, JUI-F candidate Waliur Rehman, received 4,639 votes.
Earlier, in the GB Assembly elections held on June 7, PPP’s Mohammad Naseem from GBA-17 Diamer-III was declared the returned candidate, while independent candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer from GBA-15 Diamer-I was also declared successful. Dilpazeer later joined the IPP.
On June 19, the chief justice of the Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court, Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan, suspended the election results in both constituencies after accepting election petitions filed by JUI-F candidates alleging rigging at the polling stations.
The court also directed the relevant authorities to keep the results suspended until further proceedings and final decisions in the cases.
On July 6, Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan, after hearing detailed arguments from both sides and representatives of the GB Election Commission, ordered re-polling at one polling station in GBA-15 Diamer-I and eight polling stations in GBA-17 Diamer-III.
The GB Election Commission fixed Sunday, July 12, as the polling day for re-polling at the nine stations in the two constituencies.
The re-polling process at the nine stations started at 8am and continued until 5pm without any break. The polling remained peaceful, with police and law enforcement personnel deployed for security.
The winning candidates celebrated their victories, with party workers dancing to music and chanting slogans.
A large number of PPP workers gathered in Darel and celebrated the victory of candidate Mohammad Naseem. Party workers chanted slogans and speakers at the gathering said the victory was a success for the PPP in Darel, adding that Mr Naseem had won the seat for the second time with a large margin.
Similarly, supporters of IPP candidate Mohammad Dilpazeer also gathered to celebrate his victory.
By-election
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission announced that it would hold a by-election in the GBA-09 Skardu-III constituency and issue the election schedule on Monday (today).
The GB Election Commission made the announcement after the GB Supreme Appellate Court disqualified PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad from the constituency for concealing his assets in his nomination papers.
