Only four women contesting in Gilgit-Baltistan 2020 election

Some 327 candidates would vie for their luck when the people of Gilgit-Baltistan would elect new representatives for the Legislative-Assembly on Sunday.

Only four women are contesting in the general elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan’s Legislative Assembly as only three parties selected a single woman candidate out of 16 parties, which are contesting the election while one woman is an independent candidate.

Ironically, the party of incumbent holders of the office Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, whose election campaign was led by its Vice President Maryam Nawaz, has not fielded a single woman candidate.

Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan have fielded on female candidate each.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly is a 33-seat house of elected representatives of people of Gilgit-Baltistan. Out of these 24 members are elected directly through vote while there are nine reserved seats including 6 for women and three for technocrats and professionals.

PPP has fielded the most number of candidates as it is contesting on 23 seats. It is followed by PML-N (21), PTI (20), PML-Q (15) and JUI-F (11). So the power struggle will be between the three major parties of the country to take a hold on Gilgit-Baltistan, which has so far tilted in the favour of ruling parties in Islamabad in its previous two elections held in 2009 and 2015.

There is also 199 independent candidates who are trying their luck in the elections.

In 2009 elections, PPP formed the government after winning 14 general seats and adding six reserved seats. JUI-F, PML-Q and PML-N each won two seats with JUI-F and PML-Q winning two and one reserved seats as well.

However, in 2015, PPP could manage to win only one seat as PML-N appeared a major force taking 16 seats along with six reserved. Islami Tehreek Pakistan and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen won two seats each in the general election and settled for two and one reserve seats, respectively. PTI could manage only one seat in the 2015 elections.