LAHORE:
Two of the three major political players in Gilgit-Baltistanthe PPP, an ally of the coalition government in the Centre, and the main opposition party PTIhave raised alarms over what they term 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 the presence of federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Amir Muqam, and Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb in the election campaign in G-B, under the guise of the visit of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, is worrisome and amounts to interference in the electoral process, raising questions about the transparency, fairness, and impartiality of the elections.
He demanded that the chief election commissioner and the G-B election commission immediately issue notices to the individuals concerned.
Murtaza said the PPP would not allow its seats to be “snatched” in the elections and that the sun of June 7 would bring news of victory for PPP in G-B.
The PTI, on the other hand, condemned alleged “large-scale rigging” and serious violations of the electoral process in G-B.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram alleged that the current situation mirrors the widespread electoral manipulation witnessed during the February 8, 2024 general elections.
He said PTI Central Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and other party leaders were prevented from entering G-B and were turned back, describing the move as a continuation of tactics used against PTI leadership before and during the 2024 general elections.
According to him, police personnel carrying lists were identifying PTI-affiliated individuals by name and appearance and preventing them from entering the region, a practice he termed a blatant violation of constitutional and democratic principles.
He further alleged that a systematic campaign is being conducted under the pretext of NOCs, reflecting restrictions imposed on PTI candidates and workers across the country ahead of the Feb 2024 elections.
He said PTI candidates and leadership are deliberately being denied NOCs to restrict their election campaign activities. The refusal to permit public rallies, processions, and corner meetings, he added, is clear evidence that the state machinery is operating under a specific agenda.
He described these actions as pre-poll rigging, discriminatory treatment, and attempts to suppress PTI’s political activitiesmethods similar to those employed before the Feb 8 elections.
Akram further said in constituencies where PTI candidates enjoy strong public support, elements within the administration, the election commission, and other influential quarters are attempting to divide the vote and influence electoral outcomes.
Independent candidates, he claimed, are being pressured to support ruling parties, raising serious concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
He compared the situation to the pressure and alleged manipulation 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 Feb 8, 2024, through delays in results, disregard for Form-45s, and alteration of outcomes, a similar plan appeared to be underway in G-B. He said the party had little confidence in the postal ballot system, the pre-poll environment, and the conduct of polling day.
Responding 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 were benefiting from Form 47 and described the statement as an open admission of pre-poll rigging.
He further stated that PTI candidates are being openly threatened and told they will never be allowed to win and will face the same treatment as former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said such conduct is not democratic politics but the worst form of political authoritarianism.
