Gilgit-Baltistan’s Election Commission announced that long-delayed local government elections will be held on August 2. The decision matters because residents have not elected local bodies for 22 years. Voters across the region will choose representatives for councils and municipal institutions.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan said the election schedule had been issued. He confirmed that returning officers, district returning officers, and assistant returning officers had already been appointed. According to the schedule, public notices will be issued on June 6, while nomination papers will be accepted from June 9 to June 15.
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The elections will be conducted for union councils, district councils, town committees, municipal committees, and municipal corporations. Khan said delimitation and demarcation had been completed under the Local Government Act 2014. He added that the new system introduces town committees, municipal committees, and municipal corporations in urban areas.
The polls were originally planned for February 14, 2026, shortly after the region’s legislative assembly elections. However, both elections were postponed indefinitely because of severe winter weather across Gilgit-Baltistan. Earlier this month, election officials said preparations were underway but no final date had been determined.
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Political parties had expressed concerns that further delays could push the elections into September or October. Leaders argued that holding polls during Muharram or other major religious observances would be impractical. The August schedule now provides a clear timeline for the return of local government institutions after more than two decades.