GILGIT (Dunya News) - The five-year term of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government will conclude on 24 November, according to GB Assembly sources.
Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan will step down at midnight on 24 November, after which his cabinet will automatically stand dissolved.
Sources said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formed the government following the 2020 elections. Former chief minister Khalid Khurshid, elected on 1 December 2020, was disqualified on 4 July 2023 in a fake degree case. He remained in office for 2 years, 7 months, and 4 days.
After his disqualification, PTI’s forward bloc member Haji Gulbar Khan was elected Chief Minister on 13 July 2023. With the end of the current Assembly’s tenure approaching, efforts to establish a caretaker setup have accelerated.
Sources stated that several declared and behind-the-scenes candidates are active for the position of caretaker chief minister. Names under consideration include Raja Naseemul Ameen, Brig (R) Basharat, Sher Bahadur Anjum, Muhammad Ali Qaid, and Waqar Manduq.
Meanwhile, Johar Ali, Mir Mustafa Madani, Muhammad Hasan Hasrat, and Ghulam Abbas are also in the race. Despite multiple meetings between the chief minister and the opposition leader, no consensus has emerged yet.
Both government and opposition lists include Raja Naseemul Ameen and Brig (R) Basharat as potential contenders. If the chief minister and the opposition leader fail to agree on a single name, the final nomination will be made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.