ISLAMABAD, June 7: Voting for elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan concluded peacefully on Sunday, with vote counting underway. Polling was held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and officials reported no major incidents of violence. A total of 1,391 polling stations were established across the region, including 551 classified as highly sensitive.
India strongly opposed the elections, reiterating that Gilgit-Baltistan is an integral part of India and has been “illegally and forcibly” occupied by Pakistan. New Delhi maintained that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, legally acceded to India in 1947.
The assembly has 33 seats, with 24 filled through direct elections and the remainder reserved for women, technocrats and professionals. Historically, parties ruling in Islamabad have tended to perform strongly in the region’s elections. (PTI)
