Gilgit-Baltistan's newly sworn-in Chief Minister Amjad Hussain has finalized his cabinet, selecting 12 members from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) to serve as ministers. The appointments, announced Wednesday via a notification from the Services and General Administration Department, include eight PPP lawmakers and four from the IPP. Main Developments The notification, issued on the chief minister's advice and approved by the GB governor, lists the appointees: Zulfiqar Ali Murad, Syed Jalal Shah, Muhammad Ali Akhtar, Naiknam Karim, Iqbal Hassan, Raja Nasir Khan, Muhammad Naseem, and Syed Tauqeer Mehdi from the PPP. The IPP representatives are Aman Ali, Asad Shafiq, Anwar Ali, and Muhammad Dilpazeer. No specific ministerial portfolios have been assigned to the 12 members yet. The four IPP members originally contested the June 7 GB elections as independent candidates before later joining the party. Read also: 3 reasons Bilawal calls AJK elections 'most significant' in history Background The current GB Assembly consists of 14 PPP members, nine from PML-N, seven from IPP, one from Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, and one PTI-backed independent. Following the elections, PML-N and IPP agreed to support PPP in the chief minister, speaker, and deputy speaker elections, though PML-N chose to sit in opposition. Why It Matters This cabinet formation solidifies the PPP's governing coalition in Gilgit-Baltistan, bringing together a multi-party alliance to manage the region's affairs. The inclusion of IPP members, who shifted from independent status, reflects the fluid political alignments in the area. What's Next A by-election for the GBA-9 Skardu-III seat is scheduled for September 5, after the GB Supreme Appellate Court disqualified PPP candidate Fida Muhammad Nashad for concealing assets. The outcome could shift assembly dynamics. Portfolio assignments for the new ministers remain pending.