In a late evening announcement, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged victorious in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly GBLA-13- Astore-1 by-election.
PTI candidate Khurshid Khan secured a notable victory, garnering 6,219 votes. The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) candidate, Rana Farman Ali, trailed with 5,225 votes, while Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Abdul Hameed secured 4,079 votes.
The victorious candidate is father of the former chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, Khalid Khurshid Khan. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had denotified Khalid as the due to a fake degree case.
The petitioner argued that Khursheed’s purported law degree, claimed to be from London, was found to be fake and therefore, he should be disqualified under Articles 62 and 63. Khalid Khursheed had held office since December 2020 and was known for his close association with PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
It’s worth noting that PTI had previously secured significant victories in three out of four provincial seats during the Punjab by-polls held in July of the preceding year.
