‘Pak Military’s New Low’: Decoding Gilgit-Baltistan’s ‘Worst-Ever Poll Rigging’ | Exclusive

Last Updated:June 08, 2026, 14:43 IST

Pakistan military’s Gilgit-Baltistan ‘poll position’ sparks row: Indian intelligence sources say Pak security establishment cannot afford an autonomous local government in region

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assembly that concluded on Sunday is facing allegations of large-scale electoral manipulation.

Leading candidates are reportedly losing their seats through the manipulation of Form-47 results, according to contestants from both Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN).

PTI has strongly condemned what it calls the “worst election rigging and a new low" and direct military involvement in the electoral process.

CNN-News18 had reported on Pakistan military’s “electoral engineering" strategy last week.

The allegations

According to a list issued by the authorities, 1,391 polling stations were set up across the Gilgit-Baltistan region, of which 551 were categorised as highly sensitive. The assembly has 33 seats, of which 24 are filled through direct elections and the remaining seats are reserved for women, technocrats and professionals. Previous elections have generally been won by the party in power at the federal level in Islamabad.

Leaders of Imran Khan’s PTI have alleged unusually high voter turnouts after 7 pm in several constituencies, describing the late surge as suspicious and indicative of organised rigging. They claimed that this pattern, coupled with alleged tampering of official result documents, has undermined the credibility of the polls.

The controversy deepened after reports that PTI polling agents were denied access to Form 45 and Form 46, documents critical for verifying vote counts at the polling station level. PTI says this denial constitutes a violation of election law and has fuelled fears of systematic result manipulation.

In one reported incident from the Nagar constituency, workers from an opposing party were allegedly caught “red-handed" with fake ballot papers, further intensifying accusations of fraud. PTI has also levelled charges of pre-poll rigging, citing altered voter lists, boundary changes and delimitation adjustments that they say were designed to influence outcomes in key seats.

‘There will be serious consequences’

Khan’s party has warned of “serious consequences" if the final results are tampered with, vowing to mount legal challenges and democratic resistance. PTI is demanding an immediate investigation and the urgent release of authentic Form 45 and Form 46 results to ensure transparency.

Party leaders have announced that they will hold a detailed media briefing on the alleged rigging in the Gilgit-Baltistan polls shortly after the final results are officially declared.

According to reports, concerns over “election engineering" are not limited to PTI. Some PMLN contestants are also said to be raising questions about the role of the Pakistan military and the emerging lead of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the region.

What Indian intelligence sources say

Top Indian intelligence sources claim the Pakistani security establishment cannot afford an autonomous local government in Gilgit-Baltistan, as the region serves as the sole land bridge to China and the gateway for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They allege that the army routinely rigs local polls to ensure the party ruling in Islamabad also controls Gilgit-Baltistan.

Under the stated pretext of protecting Chinese engineers and CPEC infrastructure, the military is reported to have taken extensive control of local civic spaces, further entrenching its influence over political and administrative affairs in the strategic region.

India’s stance on polls

India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over the elections, maintaining that Gilgit-Baltistan is part of Indian territory that has been “illegally and forcibly" occupied by Pakistan.

Reiterating its position, India has said the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral and inalienable parts of India by virtue of the “complete, legal and irrevocable accession" of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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