LAHORE:
Two of the three main political players in Gilgit-Baltistan – the PPP, an ally of the coalition government at the Centre, and the main opposition party, the PTI – have raised the alarm over what they call violations of the electoral process.
PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza, in a statement issued on Tuesday, strongly condemned the alleged use of government machinery in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections despite the ban imposed by the election commission.
He said the presence of federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Amir Muqam and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Aurangzeb in the election campaign in Britain, under the pretext of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s visit, is worrying and amounts to interference in the electoral process, raising questions over the transparency, fairness and impartiality of the elections.
He demanded that the chief electoral commissioner and the UK electoral commission immediately send notices to concerned persons.
Murtaza stated that the PPP will not allow its seats to be “snatched” in the elections and that the sun on June 7 would bring news of the PPP’s victory in Britain.
The PTI, for its part, condemned alleged “large-scale manipulation” and serious violations of the electoral process in GB.
PTI Central Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram alleged that the current situation reflects the widespread electoral manipulation witnessed during the February 8, 2024 general elections.
He said PTI central general secretary Salman Akram Raja and other party leaders were prevented from entering Britain and turned away, describing the move as a continuation of tactics used against the PTI leadership before and during the 2024 general elections.
According to him, police personnel keeping lists identified people affiliated with the PTI by name and appearance and prevented them from entering the region, a practice he termed as a flagrant violation of constitutional and democratic principles.
He further alleged that a systematic campaign is being carried out under the pretext of NOCs, reflecting the restrictions imposed on PTI candidates and workers across the country ahead of the February 2024 elections.
He said PTI candidates and leaders are deliberately denied NOCs to restrict their election campaign activities. The refusal to allow public rallies, processions and corner meetings, he added, is clear proof that the state machinery is operating under a specific agenda.
He described these actions as pre-election manipulation, discriminatory treatment and attempts to suppress the PTI’s political activities, methods similar to those used before the February 8 elections.
Akram further said that in constituencies where PTI candidates enjoy strong public support, elements within the administration, election commission and other influential quarters are trying to divide the vote and influence the election results.
He claimed that independent candidates are being pressured to support ruling parties, raising serious concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
He compared the situation to the pressure and alleged manipulation that PTI-backed independent candidates faced during the 2024 general elections.
He expressed concern that just as the public mandate was allegedly stolen on the night of February 8, 2024, due to delays in results, disregard for Form 45s and tampering with results, a similar plan appeared to be underway in GB. He said the party had little confidence in the postal voting system, the pre-election environment and the conduct of election day.
Responding to a recent statement by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in which he said his party would “take care of Form 47”, Akram said the nation already knew which parties were benefiting from Form 47 and described the statement as an open admission of pre-poll rigging.
He further claimed that PTI candidates are being openly threatened and told that they will never be allowed to win and will face the same treatment as former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said that this behavior is not democratic politics but the worst form of political authoritarianism.
