Skardu by-election set for Saturday amid tight contest

GILGIT: A closely fought contest is expected in GBA-09 (Skardu-III) as voters head to the polls on Saturday. The seat fell vacant after the Supreme Appellate Court disqualified PPP’s Fida Muhammad Nashad, who had won the June election. His son Akhtar Abbas is contesting on the PPP ticket, while PML-N’s Mohammad Ajmal and independent candidate Mohammad Saleem are among the contenders. Polling will continue from 8am to 5pm, with security arrangements completed.