PPP wants Gilgit-Baltistan elections on time

Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has demanded to hold Gilgit-Baltistan elections on time without interference and judicial officers as Returning officers.

The PPP made this demand during a press conference in Islamabad addressed by the Secretary General PPP Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Secretary General PPPP Senator Farhatullah Babar with Aijaz Durrani, Nazir Dhoki, Shakil Abbasi, Sadaf Murtaza, Iftikhar Shahzada and advocate Sajjad Mangi.

The PPP leaders said that it is not the authority of the Speaker national assembly to call a meeting of Parliamentary leaders regarding Gilgit Baltistan. The meeting of Parliamentary leaders should only be called by the leader of the House. They said that all the parties which have participated in the recently held All Parties’ Conference will not attend the meeting called by Speaker.

The PPP leaders said that the agencies are distributing health cards and are pressurising people which amounts to pre poll rigging. They said that the meeting of political parties should have been called by the Prime Minister instead of army chief. The Prime Minister should resign if he was not invited to that meeting or he chose not to attend that meeting because it was an act of undermining political mandate.

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that the APC was held on 20th September and a 26 points communiqué was agreed upon by 12 parties and they are bound to act upon the communiqué and the action plan. The communiqué says that the APC demands Gilgit Baltistan’s elections to be held on time and to be held free, fair and transparent without any interference. After the elections, measures should be taken to bring Gilgit Baltistan in national political stream. The communiqué also declared that the region of Gilgit Baltistan is a very sensitive one and the interference of agencies should end there so that no one can object on the transparency of the elections. The APC had also decided to keep a close eye on the elections of Gilgit Baltistan. Bukhari said that the election commission of GB is separate than that of ECP. The date of elections is 15th of November and the election process has been started. The PPP demands that instead of officers of administration, the judicial officers should be deputed as Returning officers.

Bukhari said that people are being pressurized by the agencies in GB which is pre poll rigging. The PPP demands of the Chief Election commissioner of GB to stop federal ministers from interfering in Gilgit Baltistan elections. He said that the PPP has said in its 2018 manifesto that the people of GB will get their constitutional rights. In 1994, PPP held elections in GB and in 2008 President Asif Ali Zardari formed an administrative structure in GB with a chief minister of GB.

Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the elections in GB are of special importance and the elected assembly of GB will decide the future of GB. This needs free and fair elections; there should be no interference of any agency in these elections. He said that only political parties will decide the future of Gilgit Baltistan with the help of the people GB. He said that the meeting about GB should have been called by the prime minister instead of the army chief. The army chief called the meeting to discuss about the security issues but the issues of Gilgit Baltistan were discussed in that meeting.