Opposition parties reject GB poll results
ISLAMABAD: The main opposition parties — Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz ( PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — has rejected the results of Gilgit-baltistan (GB) elections and warned of protest rallies.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhuto-zardari threatened to take an ‘ extreme and difficult path’ if the alleged rigging was not reversed. He said that the PPP candidates were pressured to leave the party and join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) but “each and every one of them remained steadfast with the party except one”.
He said that when the authorities witnessed the support for the PPP by the people of GB from Siachen to Gilgit, they got worried.
“The election commission started supporting the illegal acts of the PTI ministers,” he alleged, adding that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) visited the region to hold a press conference against the opposition parties instead of stopping the federal minister from unlawful acts.
The PPP chairman claimed that three seats were “clearly” snatched from the PPP but warned that no one will be allowed to do so, saying that his party will continue to protest at every place where alleged rigging occurred.
“We will not allow the puppet, the selected and the selectors to steal the elections. The selectors knew that PTI does not exist in GB. Everyone knows that the people of G-B are with the PPP.”
PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that when he contacted the CEC to complain about the alleged rigging, he said he was helpless. “We reject the GB elections.”
He said the federal ministers were blatantly violating the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) code of conduct.
“Some aliens have been imposed on people in GB,” he alleged.
Ahsan claimed that billions of rupees were spent to buy votes and loyalties.
Another senior party leader and former
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also raised questions over the election results and violation of the election code of conduct, saying that the caretaker government in GB was used to influence the whole exercise from the very first day.
He said the rigging process started at the time of creation of an interim set-up in GB for which no consultation process was undertaken.
He said elections were postponed only to get more time for rigging.