Gilgit, June 16, 2026: Four newly elected independent members of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Assembly on Tuesday joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), providing a significant boost to the party’s position in the region’s evolving political landscape following the recent elections.
The announcement was made during a meeting with Federal Minister for Communications and IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan.
The lawmakers joining the party include Anwar Ali from GBA-23 Ghanche-2, Asad Shafiq from GBA-24 Ghanche-3, Muhammad Dilpazeer from GBA-15 Diamer-1, and Aman Ali from GBA-21 Ghizer-3.
Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Dilpazeer said the four elected independents had formed a group and collectively decided to join the IPP. He revealed that discussions were also underway with other independent candidates as well as members of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM).
“We will invite other independent members to join the party,” Dilpazeer said, expressing confidence that the IPP would emerge as the second-largest political force in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.
The development comes days after elections for the 24 general seats of the GB Assembly were held on June 7.
According to unofficial and preliminary results, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as the single largest party by securing 10 seats. The party won constituencies GBA-1, GBA-4, GBA-5, GBA-7, GBA-9, GBA-10, GBA-11, GBA-12, GBA-17 and GBA-19.
Following the election results, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited the PPP to form the government in Gilgit-Baltistan, acknowledging it as the majority party in the assembly.
In a statement issued on June 12, the prime minister assured full support to the PPP-led government formation process and announced that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would sit on the opposition benches in the GB Assembly.
However, he said PML-N lawmakers would vote in favour of the PPP during the government formation process, describing the move as consistent with democratic traditions and political stability.
The entry of four independent lawmakers into the IPP is expected to reshape political alignments in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, where negotiations and coalition-building efforts continue ahead of the formation of the new government.
