GILGIT, Pakistan — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a 14-member Gilgit Baltistan caretaker cabinet Friday, completing the interim administration tasked with running the region until the next Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections. The lineup — 12 ministers and two advisers, including Syeda Fatima as the sole woman adviser — was notified after a five-week delay and comes as the election calendar shifts from midwinter into spring, Jan. 2, 2026.
Sharif signed off on the appointments as chairman of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council, acting on the recommendations of caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Yar Muhammad Nasir, according to Radio Pakistan. The interim setup will oversee administrative affairs until an elected government takes office, Aaj English reported.
Gilgit Baltistan caretaker cabinet: who’s in the 14-member lineup
As detailed by The Express Tribune, the Gilgit Baltistan caretaker cabinet includes:
Ministers (12): Sajid Ali Baig; Engineer Altaf Hussain; Ghulam Abbas; Col. (retd) Abrar Ismail; Meher Dad; Sharafat Din; Maulana Sarwar Shah; Raja Shehbaz Khan; Mumtaz Hussain; Dr. Niaz Ali; Syed Adil Shah; Bahadur Ali.
Advisers (2): Syeda Fatima; Abdul Hakeem.
Officials have described the cabinet’s role as keeping routine governance moving while supporting election preparations — a standard mandate for caretaker administrations meant to avoid major policy shifts ahead of polls.
Election clock: April-May now in focus
The cabinet’s approval follows the appointment of Nasir as caretaker chief minister after the previous assembly completed its five-year term. He was sworn in at the Governor House in late November, Dawn previously reported.
Election planning has also been reshaped by winter logistics. President Asif Ali Zardari had set Jan. 24, 2026, as the initial polling date, though officials signaled a likely postponement because of harsh weather, The Express Tribune reported in December. Days later, the Gilgit-Baltistan chief election commissioner said both assembly and long-delayed local government elections would be held together in April or May 2026, according to Dawn.
Even as the caretaker setup takes shape, political scrutiny is likely to remain high. PML-N leader Hafeezur Rehman, the party’s Gilgit-Baltistan president and a former chief minister, has questioned whether the interim team reflects agreed criteria for neutrality and broad district representation, Dawn reported.
For now, the Gilgit Baltistan caretaker cabinet faces a tight window: stabilizing day-to-day administration, coordinating with election authorities and navigating a revised timeline that puts both assembly and local councils on track for spring voting in 2026.
