PTI set to form govt in GB after 5 independents join party

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to form the government in GilgitBaltistan as five victorious independent candidates from the Baltistan Division and district Nagar joined the party. These included Wazir Muhammad Saleem (Skardu 3), Raja Nasir Ali Khan (Skardu 4), Mushtaq Hussain (Ghanche 1), Abdul Hameed (Ghanche 2), and Javaid Manwa from district Nagar.

After a detailed meeting with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur and Saif Ullah Niazi, the Chief Organiser of the PTI here, four winners from Baltistan Division, and one from district Nagar announced to join the PTI and exhibited their full confidence in the policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

On the occasion, Ali Amin Gandapur said that for the development, prosperity, and peace of GilgitBaltistan, their services would be proved productive.

All the five winners said that they wanted to work for their constituencies and for the people of GB. Following this new development, the ruling party has secured a majority in GB Legislative Assembly. GilgitBaltistan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz on Thursday lashed out at PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying that the recently-held elections in the region were transparent.

Shahbaz, addressing a press conference, said: "[PPP chairman] Bilawal had been ranting about rigging the past one month [...] What is rigging? is it a feather? a tail? What is it?" The CEC said some parties were tarnishing the elections' results, advising all candidates and stakeholders with grievances, who were busy speaking to the media, should approach the election tribunal instead.

He urged political leaders to refrain from making "baseless allegations" adding that such claims were not in the interest of the region and the people. "Elections have been transparent and impartial," he added. His statement comes in the wake of criticism levelled by Opposition parties who have rejected the November 15 elections, using words from "rigged" to "stolen" to describe them.

Earlier in the day, PPP Chairman had said that his party bagged the highest number of votes in the recently held Gilgit Baltistan elections. Bilawal, in a tweet, had shared the graph of the percentage of votes secured by the political parties in the GB elections.

According to the graph, the PPP secured 25% of votes, PTI 24% of votes, PML-N secured 12% votes, JUI-F 1% votes, MWM secured 3% votes and independent candidates secured 15% of votes out of the total number of votes polled in the GB elections.