GILGIT: PPP’s Attaullah Shah was declared the winner for the GBA-16 (Diamer-II) seat in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly on Monday following the completion of verification and counting of postal ballot papers.

Final consolidated results detailed in the Form-49 released by the GB Election Commission showed that Shah garnered 6618 votes, beating the first runner-up, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Imam Malik, by 13 votes.

Malik had contested the June elections in GB as an independent candidate, but had later joined the IPP.

Initially, the Election Commission had declared him the returned candidate for GBA-16 (Diamer-II), but his membership was suspended last week after Shah filed a petition before an election tribunal. The plea contended that the returning officer (RO) had issued Form-49 without counting the postal ballots.

In its order on September 11, the tribunal directed the relevant RO to complete the verification and counting of postal ballot papers by September 16 and, meanwhile, suspended Malik’s membership.

Subsequently, the counting and verification of postal ballots for GBA-16 (Diamer-II) commenced amid tight security on Sunday.

The RO had directed all contesting candidates to ensure their presence in the proceedings, either in person or through their authorised representatives.

But, Malik and PML-N’s Muhammad Anwar did not appear either in person or through an agent, according to a statement issued by the Election Commission.

It said that the proceedings on postal ballots were started under Section 235 of the Election Act, 2017, in the absence of the candidates or their representatives.

PPP’s Khan and other candidates, Mohammad Nasir and Saifullah, were represented by their agents during the process, that went on for hours.

The verification and counting was conducted in the presence of Gilgit Senior Civil Judge Fahad bin Naqeeb, Assistant Registrar of the Chief Court Raj Mir and Deputy Election Commissioner Muha­mmad Ali.

Malik’s supporters remained outside the Election Commission Secretariat throughout the night as the counting continued. Later, a large number of PPP supporters also gathered outside the secretariat to celebrate Shah’s victory, distributing sweets and shouting party slogans.

Meanwhile, the Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court is scheduled to hear Malik’s appeal against the election tribunal’s decision to suspended his membership today (Monday).

Islamuddin Advocate, Shah’s counsel, had earlier told Dawn that Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan will decide whether the case is admissible or not.