Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Skardu on Monday to begin his election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan, where he is scheduled to address a series of public rallies.
The PPP chairman will address an election gathering today in Gulabpur, a tehsil of Shigar district.
Bilawal is also expected to speak at campaign events in Skardu, Chilas, Ghizer and Gilgit as part of the PPP’s efforts ahead of the regional elections.
The PPP chairman was welcomed upon arrival by senior party figures, including PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari, party leader Humayun Khan, Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Syed Mehdi Shah, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider, PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan, Najamuddin Khan and other party officials.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission Secretariat of Gilgit-Baltistan has formally issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the election visit of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari.
The approval was granted following an application submitted by the PPP Gilgit-Baltistan chapter under the provisions of the Elections Act 2017, election rules and the code of conduct for the 2026 general elections.
Under the approval, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari are permitted to undertake election-related activities across Gilgit-Baltistan from June 1 to June 5, 2026.
PPP Gilgit-Baltistan President Amjad Hussain Advocate thanked the Chief Election Commissioner and his team for issuing the clearance and urged party workers, leaders and supporters to give the visiting leadership a warm welcome during the campaign.
The visit comes a day after Bilawal’s planned tour of Gilgit-Baltistan was postponed. According to PPP Gilgit-Baltistan officials, an administrative error by the recently privatised national airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), prevented Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari from travelling on Sunday.
Party representatives alleged that the flight schedule had been changed without prior notification and that the leadership only learnt at the airport that the flight had departed earlier than expected.
As a result, all scheduled events for the day were cancelled, causing considerable inconvenience to party workers and organisers.
