Just like the National Assembly and Azad Kashmir Assembly Gilgit Baltistan has a provincial Assembly in Gilgit City called Gilgit Baltistan Assembly. The former name of the assembly was Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly.
The Government organizes a fair election every 5 years to elect the members of the assembly. The people of Gilgit Baltistan are free to vote and choose their leader whom they want to send to the Assembly to solve their problems.
As we know from 1947, GB has been ruled by Pakistan, but the problem is that the region has still no constitutional rights at all. They are being administratively controlled by the Federal Government. The leaders of GB and the people of Gilgit Baltistan have always been fighting for their full constitutional rights from day one, when they joined Pakistan.
But the number of Governments changed, and different political parties came into power, but no one seems serious about this matter.
Because we, as locals of GB, observed that every political party uses “Constitutional Rights to GB” as their election slogan, but once they got the power, they forgot again.
Brief History of Gilgit Baltistan Assembly
The assembly was established in 2009 under the GB Empowerment & Self-Governance order, and the first building was built in Jutial, Gilgit. The first GB assembly election was held in November 2009.
Distribution of Seats in the GB Assembly
S/NO | Name of Seat in GB Assembly | Quantity |
1 | General Seats | 24 |
2 | Seats for Women | 6 |
3 | Technocrats & Professionals | 3 |
4 | Total Seats | 33 |
Seat Distribution in GB Assembly
Role of Assembly
As we know, the role of the Assembly is very huge. Just like the role of the National Assembly, the provincial assemblies also play a vital role in making new laws and amending existing laws in an effective way. Also, it is the major source of communication between the people of the region and the Government.
Through the members, the voice of the people reaches the assembly.
Assembly Building
The GB Assembly building is built in the capital of the Gilgit Baltistan region, Gilgit city. The judiciary is the main area where the current assembly building is located. The building is open to all the people of GB who want to visit and share their issues on the dedicated information table.
Speaker of the GB Assembly
The speaker of the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly is Amjad Zaidi at the time when we are publishing this article. He belongs to the PTI, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Political Party. He got the crown in 2020.
Speakers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly
Several speakers were changed throughout time. After every election, the speaker changes, and new speakers are elected. Here is the list of all the speakers of GB who served previously.
S/NO | Name of Speakers | Duration |
1 | Mir Wazir Baig | 11 December 2009 to 23 June 2015 |
2 | Haji Fida Muhammad Nashad | 24 June 2015 to 25 November 2020 |
3 | Amjad Zaidi | 26 November 2020 to Incumbent |
Deputy Speaker
The current deputy speaker of the GB Assembly is Nazir Ahmed from PTI.
Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltsiatn
The current Chief Minister of GB is Khalid Khurshid from PTI.
List of All Chief Ministers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly
S/NO | Chief Minister’s | Joined | Left | Political Party |
1 | Syed Mehdi Shah | 11 December 2009 | 11 December 2014 | PPP |
2 | Sher Jehan Mir | 12 December 2014 | 26 June 2015 | Caretaker |
3 | Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman | 26 June 2015 | 23 June 2020 | PMLN |
4 | Mir Afzal | 24 June 2020 | 30 November 2020 | Caretaker |
5 | Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan | 30 November 2020 | Continue | PTI |
Leader of the Opposition
The current leader of the opposition is Syed Amjad Hussain from the Pakistan Peoples Party PPP. He is t also one of the most influential and famous Politicians in Gilgit Baltistan.
List of Opposition Leaders
S/NO | Name of Opposition Leader | Joined | Left | Political Party |
1 | Bashir Ahmad | 11 December 2009 | 11 December 2014 | PML(Q) |
2 | Capt.(R) Muhammad Shafi | 26 June 2015 | 23 June 2020 | ITP |
3 | Amjad Hussain Azar | 30 November 2020 | Continue | PPP |
Political Parties in Gilgit Baltistan
In Gilgit Baltistan, there are some powerful Political Parties that participate in each election:
Pakistan Peoples Party PPP
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf PTI
PMLN(Q) Pakistan Muslim League Q
Pakistan Muslim League Nawa PMLN
Balawaristan National Front
Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl)
We see many independent members also in each election who fight in the election, and the good thing is they won and joined the party that came into power.
Social Media Verified Official Account of GBA
Below are the official verified social media accounts and the official website of the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly.
Official Website: https://gba.gov.pk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gblagb
Instagram:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gb_assembly
Official Email Address:
Official Email of Gilgit Baltistan Assembly: gblainformationcell@gmail.com
Author
Adil Balti
Founder · Balti.pk
Muhammad Adil Balti is the Founder of balti.pk, the only platform connecting tourists with local tour operators, guides, hotels, restaurants, and transport services across Skardu and Gilgit-Baltistan, helping promote the region’s tourism and local economy.