Astore (Correspondent): The long-awaited election official notification of Astore by-election from the returning officer was released on September 11, 2023, two days after the polling day.
According to the results shared by returning officer, Muhammad Khurshid Khan of the PTI, the father of the former Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, emerged victorious with 6,164 votes. Farman Ali of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PLM-N) secured the second position with 4,899 votes. While Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s Abdul Hameed Khan secured the third position with 4,125 votes.
There were a total of 56 polling stations and a registered voter count of 33,378. However, the election saw the participation of 16,620 individuals. Among these voters, 8,797 were male, and 7,823 were female. Out of the cast votes, 6,319 were deemed valid, while 319 votes were rejected and not included in the final count.
A controversy erupted when unofficial election results indicated the victory of PTI’s candidate. Both PML-N and PPP raised concerns about the election results, alleging that the former CM G-B had engaged in buying votes shortly before the polls.
Election results were not announced officially, prompting Former CM G-B, Khalid Khurshid, and his supporters to stage a sit-in demanding the official release of the results. It appears as if the sit-in yielded results, as the official outcome has now been made public.
It is pertinent to note that the constituency had become vacant following the disqualification of former CM GB Khalid Khursheed in a fake degrees case.
It is pertinent to note that the constituency became vacant after former Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan, Khalid Khursheed, was disqualified in a fake degree case.
