With Gilgit Baltistan on the verge of another election, the political debate in the region is driven by issues of governance, job creation, infrastructure, the energy crisis, and the delivery of public services, not just party loyalty. However, the majority of respondents favour the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the most popular party. PTI has an alliance with Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) under an electoral understanding, with four constituencies allocated to it. It is also important to note that PTI’s candidates will contest the elections as independents under different electoral symbols after the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan declined to recognise PTI as a political party in the region, citing the absence of intra-party elections.

This survey was conducted by The Himalayan Research Institute, an independent think tank. It is designed to examine the general public's perceptions of electoral participation, political preferences, governance concerns, and trust in electoral processes across Gilgit-Baltistan. Responses were received from more than 300 people from all three divisions of GB – Gilgit, Diamer and Baltistan.

The survey also shows a strong tendency towards development-oriented political thinking. Governance, unemployment, energy, education, and infrastructure were all considered major public issues, with 53.4% of the panellists citing “All of them” as the most important factor influencing their voting.  This implies that voters are becoming more aware that governance and development problems are interrelated and require a comprehensive policy rather than mere political promises.

The results indicate a politically active electorate, and democratic participation is fairly high. Some 88.6% of respondents said they were registered to vote, and 63.6% said that they would “definitely” vote in the next elections. Meanwhile, mistrust in the fairness of election processes is not far off, as 36.8% of respondents expressed doubt. With recent incidents and grievances by major political parties, including PTI, which alleges political victimisation and pre-poll ragging before the June 6 elections.

The upcoming elections will also be a litmus test in many respects, testing whether future leaders can solve long-term developmental and institutional challenges.

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Correspondent: Wajeeh Ullah – Blog Writer at Himalayan Research Institute