• Bilawal reaches Gilgit from Skardu after Iran visit to attend CM’s swearing-in ceremony, originally scheduled for July 1
• Plans to decide composition of cabinet

GILGIT: Advocate Amjad Hussain, the chief minister-elect of Gilgit-Baltistan, will take the oath of office on Monday (today) in Chinar Bagh after his July 1 swearing-in ceremony was postponed as his party chairman and ex-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari went to Iran to attend Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral.

The PPP chairman returned from Tehran and reached Skardu on Sunday where he was received by Governor Syed Mehdi Shah, CM-elect Hussain and senior PPP leaders before proceeding to Gilgit.

Hussain was elected unopposed as the Leader of the House in GB Assembly on June 22.

According to the PPP chairman’s schedule, he will attend a memorial for the martyrs of the Gilgit-Baltistan War of Indep­endence, where he will also address the gathering.

Later, GB Governor Shah will administer the oath to CM-elect Hussain. The PPP’s central and local leadership, members of the GB Assembly and government officials will attend the ceremony. A large number of party workers are also expected to participate.

Cabinet composition

During his visit, sources said, the PPP chairman would also discuss and decide the composition of the GB cabinet.

The PPP has decided to include the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) in the government as it supported the party’s candidate for the chief minister’s post.

The sources said both parties have agreed to allocate three ministries to the IPP.

The PML-N also supported the PPP’s chief minister candidate under an understanding reached between the central leaderships of the two parties.

Under the agreement, the deputy speaker has been chosen from the PML-N. Besides, the party will also be given the governor’s post as well as the slot of the opposition leader in the GB Assembly.

Re-polling

In another development, the GB Supreme Appellate Court ordered re-polling at Loshi Polling Station in GBA-15 Diamer.

GB Supreme Appellate Court Chief Judge Justice Sardar Muhammad Sha­mim had reserved his verdict on an election petition challenging the GBA-15 result as reflected in Form 47. The petition was filed by JUI-F candidate Waliur Rehman.

Independent candidate Dilpazeer Khan had been declared the returned candidate according to Form 47.

After hearing arguments from both parties and representatives of the Election Commission, the chief judge reserved the decision on Thursday.

On Saturday, the Supreme Appellate Court directed the GB chief election commissioner to immediately announce a fresh schedule and conduct re-polling at the Loshi Thak female polling station in accordance with the law.

The judge also ordered re-polling at eight polling stations in GBA-17 Diamer.

During the hearing of three separate election petitions on Thursday, proceedings in the GBA-9 Skardu case were adjourned till Monday.

Earlier, the chief judge had suspended the election result of independent candidate Dilpazeer Khan from GBA-15 Diamer, who later joined the IPP, as well as the result of PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad from GBA-9 Skardu.

In all three cases, the court directed the concerned authorities to maintain the suspension of the results until its final decisions.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2026