GB Chief Minister forms 12-member cabinet

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain has formed his provincial cabinet, appointing 12 members of the

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain has formed his provincial cabinet, appointing 12 members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly as ministers.

The newly formed cabinet includes eight members from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and four members from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

The appointments were made through an official notification issued by the relevant provincial departments. The notification stated that the members were appointed as ministers on the recommendation of the chief minister and approval of the governor.

The newly appointed PPP ministers include Zulfiqar Ali Murad, Syed Jalal Shah, Muhammad Ali Akhtar, Naiknam Karim, Iqbal Hassan, Raja Nasir Khan, Muhammad Naseem and Syed Tauqeer Mehdi.

The four IPP members joining the cabinet are Aman Ali, Asad Shafiq, Anwar Ali and Muhammad Dilpazeer.

The government has not yet announced the portfolios of the newly appointed ministers. Their departments are expected to be allocated in the coming days.

The IPP members selected for the cabinet had participated in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections as independent candidates before joining the party.

The new cabinet formation comes after political developments following the Gilgit-Baltistan elections. The PPP emerged as the leading party and formed the government with support from other political groups.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly currently consists of representatives from multiple political parties, including the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), IPP, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen and a PTI-backed independent member.

Meanwhile, a by-election for the GBA-9 Skardu-III seat is scheduled after the disqualification of PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad by the Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court over issues related to his nomination papers.

Following the elections, the PML-N and IPP supported the PPP candidate for the positions of chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker. However, the PML-N later decided to sit on the opposition benches.