JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman rejects GB election results

PESHAWAR:

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday rejected the results of the recent general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Addressing a press conference along with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Asad Qaiser in Peshawar, Fazl said the election result in Gilgit-Baltistan was not acceptable.

“Based on the initial information we have received, we have decided to jointly reject the results of the elections held in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said. Stressing the need for political unity on key national issues, he said: “The federal government must take all parties into confidence, including on matters of law and order.”

The PPP took the lead in the UK election as unofficial results showed the party ahead in 11 of the 24 seats contested in Sunday’s vote. The PML-N was leading in five constituencies; PTI in three, and its ally, MWM, in one seat. Independent candidates were ahead in two constituencies. However, no party was able to secure a majority.

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, addressing a separate press conference on Monday, said the party would observe a “black day” on the swearing-in day in Gilgit-Baltistan and issue a white paper on alleged electoral irregularities. He claimed that the PTI “won 100 percent in eight seats” before the final results and accused the authorities of pre-voting fraud and a “systematic plan” to exclude the party from the election process.

Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas of MWM also alleged large-scale manipulation, citing delays in result announcements and selective dissemination of results, which he said raised serious questions about transparency.

Read also: The opposition rejects the election results in Great Britain

The Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan alliance, led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, also held a consultative meeting and alleged that opposition parties, especially the PTI, were being deliberately sidelined during the election process. In its statement after the meeting, the alliance termed the election a “repeat of the 2024 general election” and rejected the results outright.

Congratulating the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the election “successful, transparent, peaceful and politically vibrant” and praised the Election Commission for ensuring a fair and impartial process.

UK Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan has also ordered re-elections at five polling stations following petitions by losing candidates. Re-polling will be held on June 15 in one polling station in GBA-15 and four polling stations in GBA-16 after objections were raised to the initial polling process.