The Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan has dismissed the election appeal filed by Imam Malik regarding the election dispute in constituency GBA-16 Diamer-II (Case: Imam Malik vs. Attaullah and others).
The court directed the Election Tribunal of Gilgit-Baltistan to hear the objections of the parties, complete proceedings in accordance with the law, and take the necessary steps to issue the final result. This decision was reported on September 18, 2026.
The aforementioned election appeal was filed under Section 155 of the Elections Act, 2017, challenging the Election Tribunal’s order dated September 11, 2026.
According to court records, in the 2026 general elections, Imam Malik secured 6,320 votes and Attaullah secured 6,296 votes, as per the Returning Officer’s Form-47. A provisional aggregate result was compiled—excluding postal ballots from the final count—under which Imam Malik was declared successful on June 19, 2026.
Subsequently, Attaullah challenged the election result before the Election Tribunal. On September 11, the Tribunal directed the concerned Returning Officer to scrutinize and count all postal ballots in accordance with the law, include them in the final aggregate result, and submit the result in the form of Form-49 to the Chief Election Commissioner of Gilgit-Baltistan. In its verdict, the Supreme Appellate Court ruled that the provisional consolidated result—issued without the complete counting and verification of postal ballot papers as required under Section 95 of the Election Act 2017 and Rule 85 of the Election Rules 2017—did not meet legal requirements.
The Court noted that, pursuant to the Election Tribunal’s directive, a Senior Civil Judge had been appointed to assist the Returning Officer; the process of counting and examining the postal ballot papers was completed in the judge’s presence.
According to the Senior Civil Judge’s statement, the ballot box and its cloth seals were intact, the candidates’ signatures were present, the postal ballot paper envelopes were sealed, and no open envelopes were found. The Court held that, based on the available evidence, the allegations made by Imam Malik regarding tampering with the postal ballot papers or the ballot box, or the breaking of seals, were not substantiated.
However, the Court clarified that the Election Tribunal had not yet issued a final verdict. The Supreme Appellate Court directed the Tribunal to summon both parties for a scheduled hearing; if either party raised a genuine objection, it should be addressed in accordance with the law, followed by the issuance of necessary directives to the Chief Election Commissioner of Gilgit-Baltistan to announce the final result.
The Court ruled that, in light of these directives, no substantive grounds remained for the election appeal currently under consideration; consequently, Imam Malik’s election appeal was dismissed.
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