Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has insisted that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will overwhelmingly vote against the candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the November 15 elections. Zardari stated that the PPP would provide the people of Gilgit-Baltistan their own province, He further targeted the Imran Khan government, claiming his slogan of change means the destruction of Pakistan, and alleging that his cabinet had rejected the demand of a separate province for Gilgit-Baltistan and filed a petition in the Supreme Court.
‘Today people from every section of the society are protesting against Imran Khan and his policies as his government has brought poverty, hunger, price hike, and unemployment to Pakistan,” Dawn quoted Zardari. But what actually happened in election.
RESULT
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday won most of the seats in the legislative assembly election in Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan, keeping alive the tradition of success in the region by the party ruling the country, Elections were held on 23 seats of the third legislative assembly on Sunday amidst tight security due to the threat of militancy.
The official results were still not known as election authorities may take some time to announce the final outcome. Polling was due on 24 seats but it was postponed on one seat after the death of one of the contestants. As many as 330 candidates, including four women, contested the election.
PROTESTS
With the results seemingly in favour of Prime Minister Imran Khan‘s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Gilgit Baltistan, massive protests continue in the illegally occupied region alleging poll rigging in the Legislative Assembly elections. The elections were held on Sunday in Gilgit-Baltistan in 24 constituencies of the Legislative Assembly. Thousands of people turned up on the streets, carrying flags to protest against the rigged polls.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif was also seen addressing a crowd of protesters. One of the protesters said: “Whoever oppresses us, we will stand up against them and die fighting. Today, through pre-poll rigging our mandate has been stolen. Till our demands are not met, we will continue protesting.”
Meanwhile, human rights activist Amjad Ayub Mirza said that the Gilgit-Baltistan elections were a ‘scam’. “There has been a scam in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections. From three areas, the polling boxes were stolen, and so, the two big leaders of Pakistan, Bilawal and Maryam, have refused to accept the outcome of the elections. Bilawal has also stated that if the three seats, which were previously won by PPP but later lost through a scam, are not returned, he will not leave Gilgit-Baltistan,” said Mirza. According to sources, thousands of people had taken to the streets in Skardu and Gilgit areas against vote-rigging in the elections on Monday, with incidents of several tires being set on fire and many roads blocked for hours were reported in the region.
INDIA’S STATEMENT
India has slammed Pakistan for its decision to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and said any action to alter the status of the militarily-occupied region has no legal basis.
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