Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region set for Sunday's polls

Pakistan's semi-autonomous Gilgit-Baltistan region is set to go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government for a five-year term.

Some 396 candidates are competing for 24 direct seats in the regional Legislative Assembly, with 266 of them independent candidates and 130 representing different national and regional political and religiopolitical parties, according to the figures issued by the regional election commission.

The house has 33 seats in total, with nine reserved seats for women and political appointees allocated based on a proportional representation basis.

Voting stations are scheduled to open at 8 am (0300GMT) and close at 5 pm (1200GMT).

A total of 963,034 voters are eligible to cast ballots in the elections.

A close contest is expected between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of the slain Premier Benazir Bhutto, and independent candidates backed by the main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PTI, which could not get the election symbol for Sunday's polls in line with the 2024 general elections, has accused the government of not providing a "level playing field" to its candidates. The government denies the allegation.

Thousands of police and paramilitary troops have been deployed across the region, which borders neighboring China, to keep order during the electioneering.

Although the number of women candidates remains significantly low, over 450,000 female voters are expected to play a decisive role in the polls, as their numbers are almost identical in several constituencies.

Traditionally, the ruling party in Islamabad forms the government in Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Area and once part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Sitting at the confluence of the world's greatest mountain ranges-the Karakoram, the Himalaya, the region is a world-famous tourist attraction, and home to five of the total 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet).

The territory is currently governed through a partnership between the semi-autonomous legislative assembly, a council of leaders, and the federal government.

The region is also a key route of the $64-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor project, which aims to connect China's strategically important northwestern Xinxiang province to Pakistan's southwestern Gwadar port through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines for cargo, oil, and gas transportation.