Key Takeaways
- The Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court has disqualified Fida Muhammad Nashad, a PPP candidate.
- Nashad was initially allowed to contest the elections by the GB Chief Court but his nomination papers were later challenged.
- Justice Shamim found Nashad had concealed details of his assets in his nomination papers.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court has disqualified Fida Muhammad Nashad, a candidate from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), for concealing his assets in his nomination papers. This decision sets aside the GB Chief Court’s earlier ruling that had allowed him to contest the recent general elections.
Nashad's initial nomination was rejected by the returning officer (RO) due to discrepancies in his asset declaration, leading him to challenge this decision before the election tribunal. The tribunal upheld the RO's decision, but Nashad further appealed to the GB Chief Court, which allowed him to contest the elections from constituency GBA-09 Skardu-III.
On June 19, Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan of the GB Supreme Appellate Court issued an order suspending the issuance of results for this constituency until a final decision was made. After thorough examination and hearing arguments from both sides, including representatives from the Election Commission, Justice Shamim delivered his verdict on Thursday.
In its ruling, the court declared the GB Chief Court’s order dated May 25, 2026, 'null and void' and upheld the election tribunal's decision. The apex court found that Nashad had concealed details of his assets in his nomination papers, violating Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of Pakistan for concealing assets, making false statements, and violating mandatory provisions of the Election Act.
Justice Shamim also criticized the GB Chief Court's decision to allow a writ petition against the election tribunal’s final order without any sound legal reason. He ordered that a copy of the decision be sent to the GB chief election commissioner for immediate legal action.
The PPP had emerged as the largest party in the recent June 7 elections, winning 12 seats out of 24 in the Gilgit-Baltistan assembly. The party had announced plans to form a government with support from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), agreeing that PML-N would sit in opposition.
Advocate Amjad Hussain, nominated by the PPP, took the oath as the chief minister on Monday, marking the beginning of what is expected to be an interesting political landscape in Gilgit-Baltistan.
