GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan on Thursday announced a revised schedule for local government elections in the region, fixing Dec 5 for polling for municipal corporation seats in Chilas, Skardu and Gilgit.
Local government (LG) elections in GB, announced last year after a gap of more than two decades, were originally scheduled for Feb 14, 2026. However, they have been postponed repeatedly due to various factors, most recently harsh weather conditions and amendments to the Local Government Act.
Addressing a press conference at the GB Election Commission Secretariat on Thursday, the CEC said the elections would be held in two phases.
In the first phase, polling for municipal corporation seats in Chilas, Skardu and Gilgit would take place on Dec 5, while elections for district councils, municipal committees and union councils would be held in April next year, he said.
The CEC said the government had completed amendments to the 2014 Local Government Act, paving the way for the long-delayed elections, which, he noted, had not been held in the region for 22 years.
Khan said the elections had previously been postponed several times following requests from the government and other stakeholders.
He said he had initially proposed holding the elections in February after announcing a schedule in December last year. However, the government had requested a delay due to severe winter weather.
A revised schedule was subsequently prepared for August this year, with polling initially planned for September. The GB government later sought additional time to amend the LG Act, resulting in another postponement, the CEC said.
He said the government had been given time to complete the amendments, which had now been finalised. He added that he had met Chief Minister Amjad Hussain to discuss the revised election schedule.
“The GB Local Government Act 2026 was introduced by the PPP government, and the credit for holding elections under the same law also goes to the party,” he said.
The CEC said several important changes had been introduced through the amendments, including allowing independent candidates to contest the local government elections, which were previously to be held on a party basis.
The previous system comprised seven categories of local government bodies covering urban and rural areas, he said. These included town committees, municipal committees, municipal corporations, union councils, tehsil councils and district councils.
Under the amended law, the system has been simplified into four categories: district councils, union councils, municipal committees and municipal corporations.
Elections for all four categories would be held under a multi-ward system, which the CEC said would simplify the process.
District councils, union councils and municipal committees would have chairmen and vice-chairmen, while municipal corporations would have mayors and deputy mayors, he explained.
Under the new system, municipal corporations have been established in Gilgit, Chilas and Skardu, where elected members will choose mayors and deputy mayors.
Union councils and district councils have also been established across all districts, with a 17 per cent quota reserved for women in all local government bodies.
“It was decided that elections would initially be held in the municipal corporations of Gilgit, Chilas and Skardu, while district councils and union councils would also operate in these areas,” the CEC said.
Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2026
