Day 393: Pakistan Holds Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Elections Despite India Sovereignty Protest — 958,480 Voters, 396 Candidates, PPP Leads
June 7, 2026 marks Day 393 of the India-Pakistan ceasefire. Pakistan proceeded with elections to 24 of 33 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly seats on June 7, 2026, despite India's formal diplomatic protest lodged on June 5 asserting the entire region is Indian sovereign territory illegally occupied by Pakistan. Approximately 958,480 registered voters participated across the high-altitude constituency; 396 candidates contested, with PPP fielding 23 candidates, PML-N 22, and PTI-backed independents numbering 19 among other parties and independents. Tight security was deployed across all polling stations in the strategically sensitive mountain territory. Polling concluded peacefully. Preliminary results showed PPP's Amjad Hussain winning GBLA-1 (Gilgit constituency) with 11,178 votes; the full official results for all 24 seats were still being tallied and certified. The 33-seat Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly requires 17 seats for a majority; nine seats were held in separate constituency elections on the same day. India's Foreign Ministry had formally protested the elections on June 5, calling GB 'an integral and inalienable part' of India and calling on Pakistan to 'vacate occupied territories' and refrain from 'any material change' to Indian territory under Pakistan's illegal occupation. Pakistan's Foreign Office dismissed India's protest as 'propagating fake narratives,' stating Kashmir must be resolved by UN-supervised plebiscite. The CPEC corridor passes through Gilgit-Baltistan — a key additional dimension of the sovereignty dispute. Pakistan upgraded GB to quasi-provincial status in 2020; the June 7 elections and separately announced August 2 local government elections together represent Pakistan's most sustained electoral governance drive in the territory. The ceasefire holds at Day 393 with no LOC violations since May 10, 2025; bilateral freeze — no ambassadors, $0 trade, IWT suspended — continues in full effect.