Thirty newly elected members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly took the oath of office on Monday, marking the formal commencement of the new legislative term following the recent elections.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Speaker Nazir Advocate administered the oath to the newly elected lawmakers during the inaugural session of the assembly in Gilgit.
The oath was administered to 30 members, while representatives from three constituencies were unable to take their seats.
Their notifications have not yet been issued after the Gilgit-Baltistan Appellate Supreme Court ordered that the results of those constituencies be withheld pending further proceedings.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as the largest political force in the assembly, securing 13 seats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) became the second-largest party with nine seats, while the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) secured six seats to take third position in the house.
Following the oath-taking ceremony, the Speaker adjourned the session until 3pm later in the day.
Earlier, on 20 June, the Election Commission announced the allocation of reserved seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly following the completion of the electoral process.
Under the allocation, the PPP secured three reserved seats for women, the highest among all parties. The PML-N and the IPP were each awarded one women's reserved seat.
The Election Commission also distributed three technocrat seats among political parties according to their representation in the assembly. One technocrat seat each was allocated to the PPP, the PML-N and the IPP.
Reporter: Mehtab Ur Rehman