Four independent candidates who won the polls in the Gilgit-Baltistan general elections on Tuesday joined the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), announcing the decision during a meeting with party President Abdul Aleem Khan.
The new members of the IPP are 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).
On the occasion, Dilpazeer said the four candidates had formed a group and joined the IPP together, adding they were also in contact with other independent candidates as well as candidates of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM). He said the group would invite other independents to join the IPP, claiming the party would emerge as the second-largest party in the GB Assembly.
General elections in GB took place on June 7, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerging as the single largest party with 10 seats, according to unofficial and preliminary results. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) trailed in second with six seats, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited the PPP to form the government on basis of its majority.
According to the premier, the PMLN has decided to sit on the opposition benches but its members would vote in favor of the PPP to form the next government.
The PPP, however, falls short of independently forming the government even with reserved seats, with the party previously claiming it would court independents to make up the shortfall. The decision of four candidates to join the IPP could prompt the PPP to scramble to secure sufficient numbers to form its government.