LAHORE:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari believes that holding elections in Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on a significantly different timeline than the rest of the country distorts election results and deprives both regions of genuine leadership, according to an informed source within the party.
A PPP leader, speaking to The Express PAkGazette on condition of anonymity, said that since the election results in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir have consistently favored the ruling Islamabad party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is of the view that elections across the country should be held on the same date.
He added that the PPP chairman believes that if the elections were held simultaneously, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir would vote more freely, rather than aligning their preferences with the ruling party at the centre.
He further said that the president could also make preliminary efforts to explore the alignment of election dates across the country.
PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan, responding to questions about the president’s alleged views, said he was not aware of any such internal discussions within the party; However, he acknowledged that the feeling does indeed exist.
He said the party leadership has opposed the federal government’s interference in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, particularly in view of the visits of the prime minister and federal ministers.
Commenting on the president’s reported position, he said he was not in a position to confirm or deny it at this time.
He added that the party president is expected to visit Gilgit-Baltistan after Eid. He further said that the PPP was currently engaging in seat adjustment agreements with various political parties.
A senior party leader and former governor of Gilgit-Baltistan said he was also unaware of any such discussion within the party leadership; However, he agreed that aligning the elections is the need of the hour.
He said whether it is the PPP or the PML-N in government, the ruling party benefits from an undue advantage in the elections, which according to him undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
Those outside the government, he added, are at a significant disadvantage. Referring to alliance agreements, he explained that so far the party has only agreed on a one-seat adjustment with JUI-F in Darel.
PILDAT chief Ahmad Bilal Mehboob said he supports the “one nation, one election” proposal, arguing that the issue is not limited to influence over Gilgit-Baltistan or Kashmir but also relates to the disruptive nature of elections in general.
He said elections create administrative and political disruptions and it is better to hold them collectively at the same time. He further said that he supports the idea of holding even local body elections on the same date as other elections.
It is pertinent to note that the electoral results in Gilgit-Baltistan since the formation of the elected assembly in 2009 have largely followed a predictable pattern, where the ruling party in Islamabad has typically emerged as the ruling party in the region.
During the PPP’s rule at the Centre, it formed the government in GB, followed by the PML-N during its federal government, and later the PTI when it was in power at the Centre. Similar patterns have also been observed in Kashmir elections.
