LAHORE:
Two of the three major political players in Gilgit-Baltistan – the PPP, an ally of the coalition government at the centre, and the main opposition party PTI – have raised alarms over what they call violations of the electoral process.
PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza in a statement issued on Tuesday strongly condemned the alleged use of government machinery in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections despite a ban imposed by the Election Commission.
He said that the presence of federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Amir Muqam and Punjab senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb in the election campaign in GB, under the guise of the visit of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, is worrisome and amounts to interference in the election process, raising questions about the transparency and impartiality of the election, fairness.
He demanded that the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the British Electoral Commission immediately issue notices to the persons concerned.
Murtaza said that the PPP would not allow its seats to be “snapped” in the elections and that the June 7 sun would bring news of victory for the PPP in GB.
The PTI, on the other hand, condemned alleged “large-scale rigging” and serious violations of the election process in the UK.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that the current situation reflects the widespread election rigging witnessed during the February 8, 2024 general elections.
He said PTI central general secretary Salman Akram Raja and other party leaders were prevented from entering the UK and were turned back, describing the move as a continuation of tactics used against the PTI leadership before and during the 2024 general elections.
According to him, police personnel with lists identified PTI affiliates by name and appearance and barred them from entering the region, a practice he termed as a flagrant violation of constitutional and democratic principles.
He further alleged that a systematic campaign is being conducted on the pretext of NOCs, which reflects restrictions imposed on PTI candidates and workers across the country ahead of the February 2024 elections.
He said PTI candidates and leadership are being deliberately denied NOCs to curtail their election campaign activities. The refusal to allow public rallies, processions and corner meetings, he added, is a clear proof that the state machinery is working under a particular agenda.
He described these actions as pre-poll rigging, discriminatory treatment and attempts to suppress PTI’s political activities – methods similar to those used before the February 8 elections.
Akram further said that in constituencies where PTI candidates enjoy strong public support, elements in the administration, Election Commission and other influential quarters are trying to split the vote and influence the election results.
Independent candidates, he argued, are pressured to support ruling parties, raising serious concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
He compared the situation to the pressure and alleged rigging faced by PTI-backed independent candidates during the 2024 general elections.
He expressed concern that just as the public mandate was allegedly stolen on the night of February 8, 2024 due to delays in results, disregard of Form-45s and alteration of results, a similar plan appeared to be underway in GB. He said the party had little confidence in the postal voting system, the pre-poll environment and the conduct of election day.
Reacting to a recent statement by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in which he said his party would “take care of Form 47”, Akram said the nation already knew which parties benefit from Form 47, describing the statement as an open admission of pre-poll fraudsters.
He further stated that PTI candidates are openly threatened and told that they will never be allowed to win and will face the same treatment as former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said such behavior is not democratic politics but the worst form of political authoritarianism.
