As electioneering in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is at its peak, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will visit Skardu today, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.
He will hold meetings with the party candidates and office-bearers today, and will address a rally at Shigar tomorrow (Monday).
On the other hand, senior PML-N leaders, too, will address public gatherings at three different places.
General elections for the GB Assembly (GBA) will be held on June 7.
As many as 5,000 Punjab Police personnel will be sent to GB to provide security during the elections.
As many as 1,500 personnel of the Riot Management Force, 1,242 personnel of Punjab Constabulary, 1,958 personnel of Punjab Highway Patrolling and 300 personnel of Lahore Police will perform duties.
In this connection, AIG Operations has written a letter to the SSP MT in which he has ordered him to arrange proper transport to send the personnel to GB.
On Friday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released the final list of candidates for the 2026 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections 2026, with a total of 396 candidates dominated by independents were set to contest the polls.
As per the final list, 266 candidates are contesting as independents, while 120 are affiliated with various political parties.
The elections will also feature eight women candidates, including five independents. The remaining women candidates belong to the Pakistan Peoples Party, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and Pakistan National Party.
Among the major political parties, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians has fielded 23 candidates, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz with 22 candidates.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has nominated nine candidates, while Islami Tehreek Pakistan is contesting with 10 candidates. Jamaat-e-Islami and MQM have fielded six candidates each, while Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen has seven contenders in the race.
The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party has nominated 15 candidates, while the Pakistan Nazariati Party has fielded 10 candidates. Awami Workers Party has four.
Other parties participating with one candidate each included the Awami National Party, Awami Pakistan, Central Muslim League, Tehreek Tahafuz Pakistan Party, Sunni Ittehad Council, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and PPP Tower Group.
In addition, the Pakistan Muslim League has fielded 11 candidates, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid has nominated one candidate for the polls.
On Friday, Junaid Akbar Khan, the provincial president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with several party lawmakers, was detained by Gilgit-Baltistan Police in the Hanzal area during an election campaign visit.
According to sources, Junaid had been touring various areas of Gilgit-Baltistan in connection with the party’s election campaign when police stopped his convoy and informed him that he did not possess the required no-objection certificate (NOC).
“I was told that you do not have an NOC, so you should leave Gilgit,” Junaid said while reacting to the action taken against him.
He questioned the requirement for special permission to enter the region, saying, “Is Gilgit-Baltistan not a part of Pakistan?”
Sources said Members of the National Assembly Salim-ur-Rehman, Syed Mehboob Shah, Dr. Amjad Ali Khan and Member of the Provincial Assembly Naeem Khan were also taken into custody.
According to party sources, all PTI leaders were later expelled from Ghizer district and sent back toward Gilgit district by authorities.
In a strongly worded reaction, Junaid Akbar criticized restrictions on political movement and campaigning in the region, calling them unconstitutional and undemocratic.
“Tell me from whom should I get an NOC and why,” he said, adding that he was not entering a foreign country but was present within Pakistan.
“I am not a part of any other country but Pakistan. I am in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.
The PTI leader alleged that restrictions on political activity were aimed at limiting competition ahead of elections in the region.
“Preventing the election campaign is an attempt to empty the political arena,” he said, while urging political opponents to engage in democratic competition instead of imposing restrictions.
“Abandon cowardice and compete politically,” he remarked.
Junaid Akbar said similar restrictions had also been imposed on PTI activities in Gilgit and Hunza, where authorities allegedly cited the absence of an NOC as the reason for limiting movement and public engagement.
“The country is being weakened to win an election,” he said.
He also claimed that such restrictions reflected an attitude that failed to recognize Gilgit-Baltistan as an integral part of Pakistan.
“Those who take such steps are committing anti-national acts,” he added, urging authorities to allow political workers freedom of movement and activity instead of escalating tensions.
Reporters: Hashir Warraich and Abid Chaudhry