AS a matter of tradition, electoral mandate in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) usually favours candidates supported by the political party in power in Islamabad. In the recent elections, however, candidates affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were unable to get this mandate. This should be cause of concern for the ruling party, and it needs to do some soul searching.

In a democracy, there is a shelf life for individual politicians. The manner in which an election campaign is conducted has an impact on election results. Past performance matters. Politicians on the campaign trail need to woo voters and convince them.

It is important to display humility during election campaigns to win people’s hearts and minds. As a matter of fact, over-exposure in the shape of government-funded advertisements works negatively. One can only hope that some critical lessons might have been learnt by all concerned.

Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2026