LAHORE:
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari believes that holding elections in Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on a significantly different timeline from the rest of the country will distort the election results and deprive both regions of true leadership, according to an informed party source.
A PPP leader, who spoke to The Express Pakinomist on condition of anonymity, said that considering the election results in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir have consistently favored the party ruling Islamabad, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is of the view that elections across the country should be held on the same date.
He added that the PPP chairman believes that if elections are held simultaneously, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir would vote more freely instead of aligning their preferences with the ruling party at the centre.
He further said that the chairman may also undertake a preliminary effort to explore the alignment of election dates nationwide.
PPP information secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan, responding to questions about the chairman’s alleged views, said he was not privy to any such internal discussion in the party; however, he acknowledged that the mood actually exists.
He said the party leadership has objected to the federal government’s interference in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, especially in view of the visit of the prime minister and federal ministers.
Commenting on the chairman’s reported stance, he said he was unable to confirm or deny it at this time.
He added that the party chairman is expected to visit Gilgit-Baltistan after Eid. He further said that the PPP was currently involved in seat adjustment schemes with various political parties.
A senior party leader and former governor of Gilgit-Baltistan said he was also not aware of any such discussion within the party leadership; however, he agreed that unification of elections is the need of the hour.
He said that whether it is the PPP or the PML-N in government, the ruling party enjoys an undue advantage in elections, which he claimed undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
Those outside government, he added, are at a significant disadvantage. Referring to alliance arrangements, he explained that the party has so far only agreed to a one-seat alignment with the JUI-F in Darel.
PILDAT chief Ahmad Bilal Mehboob said he supports a “one nation, one election” proposal, arguing that the issue is not limited to influence over Gilgit-Baltistan or Kashmir, but also relates to the disruptive nature of elections in general.
He said that elections create administrative and political disruption and it is better to hold them together at one time. He further said that he also supports the idea of ​​conducting even local elections on the same date as other elections.
It is pertinent to note that election results in Gilgit-Baltistan since the formation of the elected assembly in 2009 have largely followed a predictable pattern, with the party ruling in Islamabad typically emerging as the ruling party in the region.
During the PPP’s tenure at the Centre, it formed the government in GB, followed by the PML-N during its federal rule, and later the PTI when it was in power at the Centre. Similar patterns have also been observed in elections in Kashmir.
