CHORBAT, Gilgit-Baltistan: As voters in Pakistan’s mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region prepare to head to the polls on June 7, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Amina Ansari is seeking to make history by becoming the first woman elected to the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly through a direct vote, challenging long-standing political norms in a region where female representation has largely been confined to reserved seats.
Gilgit-Baltistan borders China, Afghanistan, and India-administered Kashmir. Pakistan governs it administratively as a semi-autonomous territory, separate from its provinces and Azad Kashmir. Both India and Pakistan have claimed all of Kashmir since independence 79 years ago and have fought two wars over the territory.
The region is set to hold elections after six years on June 7 to elect 33 members to its legislative assembly, comprising 24 general seats, six reserved seats for women, and three reserved seats for technocrats and professionals.
Among the 396 candidates contesting the elections, only eight are women, highlighting the region’s male-dominated political culture, where women’s rights and issues are rarely discussed. Women are also largely excluded from the drafting of election manifestos.
The political arena has never been easy for Ansari. Her campaign has focused on direct engagement with voters in Chorbat, a remote constituency in Gilgit-Baltistan where rugged mountains and scattered settlements make electioneering a challenge.
“I am contesting the elections for the fourth time, and Alhamdulillah, my campaign is going very well,” Ansari, one of only eight women candidates running for the assembly, told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
“InshaAllah, I am hopeful that my supporters will not disappoint me. They will bring me victory by placing their stamp on the Teer [arrow]. I am deeply optimistic that I will make history as the first directly elected woman in the assembly.”
Ansari’s political trajectory mirrors the shifting dynamics of Gilgit-Baltistan’s distinctive political landscape, where electoral trends have often tracked the fortunes of the party in power at the federal level in Islamabad.
She spends much of her time traveling across the region, meeting residents, and speaking face-to-face with voters about their concerns.
Ansari said she was proud to have faced three “incredibly challenging” election campaigns in the past, adding that her fourth had also turned into a new challenge.
“I am with the public. Everyone— whether they are the youth, the elderly, or women— is in close contact with me,” she said.
“Alhamdulillah, we are successfully driving the campaign through intimate corner meetings. The people trust me, and I am confident they will stand by me on election day.”
Ansari said she began her political career with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), where her work was recognized and appreciated by the party leadership.
“Later, as the political scenario evolved, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan naturally gravitated toward the major federal parties. After the Musharraf era, my supporters insisted that I join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),” she added.
Ansari said her latest political transition took place ahead of the current election cycle, adding that she joined the PPP party last year at the insistence of her supporters because of the party’s deep roots and strong following in the area.
As the clock ticks down to June 7, Ansari stands not just as a candidate but as a symbol of changing times in a deeply traditional region, aiming to shatter a glass ceiling that has kept women out of directly elected assembly seats for decades.
“Alhamdulillah, I am very comfortable with the PPP, and the party leadership has honored that trust by awarding me the ticket to contest as their candidate for GBA-23,” she added.
A total of 963,034 voters including 506,097 male and 456,937 female voters have registered, according to the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission.
At least 25 political parties including the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Islami Tehreek Pakistan, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party are contesting the elections.
Last week, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed security plans for the upcoming elections in a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Over 5,000 police personnel have reportedly been deployed to ensure a safe voting environment during the polls in early June.
