GILGIT: Polling concluded at three stations in Gilgit-Baltistan’s GBA-16 (Diamer-II) at 5pm on Sunday, with voters present within the polling station premises allowed to cast their votes.

PPP’s Attaullah Shah and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Imam Malik are again vying for the seat as repolling was held at the three stations.

A total of 2,780 registered voters were eligible to cast their votes.

Among the two candidates, Malik had contested the June elections in Gilgit-Baltistan as an independent candidate, but had later joined the IPP.

Initially, the Election Commission had declared him the returned candidate for GBA-16 (Diamer-II), but his membership was suspended in September after Shah filed a petition before an election tribunal. The plea contended that the returning officer (RO) had issued Form-49 without counting the postal ballots.

In its order on Sept 11, the tribunal directed the relevant RO to complete the verification and counting of postal ballot papers by September 16 and, meanwhile, suspended Malik’s membership.

Subsequently, the counting and verification of postal ballots for GBA-16 (Diamer-II) was held and Shah was declared the winner on Sept 14. According to the revi­sed consolidated results issued by the GB Election Com­mission on Form-49, Shah secured 6,618 votes, defeating Malik by a margin of just 13 votes.

But then, Malik had challenged the tribunal’s decision before the GB Supreme Appellate Court.

On Sept 19, the appellate court dismissed his appeal against the suspension of his membership and upheld the tribunal’s decision declaring Shah the returned candidate.

Malik later again challenged the results at three polling stations and petitioned the election tribunal to order re-polling.

The tribunal accepted his plea and suspended Shah’s membership and directed the chief election commissioner to conduct re-polling at the three polling stations within 12 days of Nov 6.