The decision comes in view of extreme cold weather and tough climatic conditions across the region.
An All Parties Conference was convened by the Election Commission of Gilgit Baltistan to review the situation.
Representatives of all major political parties attended the meeting and shared their concerns regarding the feasibility of holding elections during peak winter.
After the conference, Chief Election Commissioner Gilgit Baltistan Raja Shahbaz Khan announced that the elections had been deferred. He stated that the decision was taken with broad consensus among political parties, reflecting a shared understanding of the ground realities.
According to the Chief Election Commissioner, severe cold in January makes it nearly impossible to conduct polling in many areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. He added that all political stakeholders had already been taken into confidence about the challenges posed by the weather.
He further noted that several political parties had raised objections to holding elections in January, prompting the Election Commission to revoke the election schedule.
Regarding the new polling date, Raja Shahbaz Khan said that a fresh date and revised election timetable would be announced once weather conditions improve and become suitable for a smooth electoral process.
Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan had set January 24 as the date for the Gilgit Baltistan general elections. However, due to the region’s harsh winter, the elections have now been postponed until further notice.
