The Role of Social Media in the Upcoming Election of Gilgit-Baltistan 2026
By Raja Abdullah Khan
Social media has become one of the most influential forces shaping political behavior in Gilgit-Baltistan as the region prepares for the 2026 elections. Historically relying mainly on traditional gatherings, local radio, and face-to-face campaigning, GB now undergoes a digital transformation driven by Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, and X. These platforms have connected even remote valleys, turning online spaces into active arenas of political debate, campaigning, and public influence.
A major factor behind this shift is the rise of young, digitally literate voters. In areas like Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Diamer, Ghizer, and Astore, thousands of youth rely on social media for political news, candidate updates, and discussion forums. Candidates and parties now understand that winning the digital space is as important as holding a public rally. Short-form videos, live sessions, campaign clips, and targeted messages can reach more people in minutes than traditional methods can achieve in days.
The influence of social media on politics is no longer limited to developed nations; it is a global phenomenon. In the United States, social media has been central to both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, influencing national debates, voter mobilization, and campaign messaging, and In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump maintained a powerful grip on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), using rapid messaging, viral narratives, and direct audience engagement to shape public opinion, ultimately contributing to his electoral success. This transformation mirrors trends across the world. In India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) built one of the world’s largest digital political machines, using WhatsApp groups and viral videos to mobilize distant communities. In the Philippines, platforms like TikTok played a decisive role in the 2022 elections, where influencers shaped public narratives more strongly than traditional media. These international examples show how social media has become a global political battleground, and Gilgit-Baltistan is now part of this worldwide shift.
In Pakistan’s context, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) each have distinct digital strategies that are already shaping the political environment of Gilgit-Baltistan. PTI remains one of the strongest digital forces in Pakistan: its large online community, rapid content creation, hashtag trends, and strong youth engagement give it significant influence in GB’s online spaces. During earlier GB elections, PTI’s social-media teams played a major role in shaping narratives, highlighting party achievements, and mobilizing young voters. As the 2024 general election approached, PTI increasingly relied on social media instead of traditional campaign methods such as large rallies, especially after restrictions on public gatherings and arrests of its leaders. Its virtual rallies, short-form videos, AI-generated speeches (even used when the party’s leadership was incarcerated), and continuous online presence helped maintain its visibility across Pakistan. These online strategies reportedly paid off: many analyses attribute PTI’s resurgence to youth turnout, digital mobilization, and social-media campaigning. As a result, PTI made significant gains in several provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), where it formed the government after the 2024 election, while at the national level and in other provincial assemblies, it assumed the role of a major opposition force.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, these developments suggest a growing importance of digital outreach: as PTI’s nationwide influence expands via social media, its political messaging, voter mobilization tactics, and narrative framing could increasingly shape local political dynamics. This trend signals how GB is being drawn into a broader shift in which social media, more than traditional campaigning, becomes central to electoral politics across Pakistan.
PML-N has strengthened its online activity as well, particularly by highlighting its development-oriented narrative. The party frequently shares content about past infrastructure projects, governance claims, and national-level performance to connect with GB voters. Their digital approach centers around projecting stability, experience, and leadership, messages that often resonate with older and middle-aged voters who are now increasingly active online.
PPP maintains a strong organic base in many parts of GB, and its social media presence reflects this grassroots character. The party uses digital platforms to highlight its historical connection with the region, share updates from local leadership, and mobilize supporters through emotional and cultural messaging. PPP’s youth wings in Gilgit Baltistan are active online, amplifying the party’s visibility as the election approaches.
Beyond the parties, social media empowers ordinary citizens. With a smartphone, residents of GB can highlight local problems, water shortages, broken roads, electricity failures, environmental damages, or administrative issues. These videos often go viral and pressure authorities to take quick action. This rise of citizen journalism has increased political accountability and ensured that local voices reach beyond their valleys.
However, social media also brings risks. Misinformation, fake news, edited videos, and biased narratives can mislead voters and fuel unnecessary hostility between supporters of different parties. Online polarization sometimes spills into communities, harming social harmony. There is also a digital divide: villages without stable internet access remain excluded from online campaigns, creating an imbalance in political outreach.
Despite these challenges, social media is empowering voters, especially youth, women, and people from remote areas. It gives them a platform to question leaders, demand transparency, and engage in political discussions that were previously limited to select groups. Candidates now must stay active online, respond to public concerns, and build trust through visible digital engagement.
As Gilgit-Baltistan heads toward the 2026 elections, social media will play a decisive role in shaping narratives, influencing voter choices, and determining which party can communicate most effectively with the public. Digital platforms have brought GB into the global era of online politics, where public opinion can shift with a single video, post, or viral message. Whether used responsibly or misused, social media will remain at the center of political activity throughout the election season.
The contributor is an MPhil Scholar at Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)
