Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman Pakistan People’s Party, is still confident that he may be able to form government in Gilgit-Baltistan. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari calimed on Monday that the election was “stolen”, adding that he was heading to the region to join a protest against the unfair polls.
Speaking at a protest in GB shortly after, the PPP Chairman said the GB Election Commission, which was trusted with conducting a transparent election, had failed to protect the people’s votes and had instead “targeted the opposition”.
He added that the party will continue its election campaign in the region and will only go back after retaking its “stolen seats”. He added that despite influencing the polls, the PTI had still not managed to secure the people’s mandate.
Similarly, in a series of tweets, Maryam claimed that “neither did the PTI have any existence in GB previously nor would it have one now”. She said that the “few seats the PTI won through begging was due to force, rigging, breaking away PML-N candidates and with the help of ‘selectors'”.
گلگت بلتستان میں پی ٹی آئی کا نہ پہلے کوئی وجود تھا نہ اب ہے۔اسکو بھیک میں ملنے والی چند سیٹیں دھونس، دھاندلی، مسلم لیگ ن سےتوڑےگئے امیدواروں اور سلیکٹرز کی مرہون منت ہیں۔وفاق میں موجود حکمران جماعت کوپہلی بار یہاں ایسی شکست فاش ہوئی ہے۔ یہ شکست آنے والے دنوں کی کہانی سنارہی ہے
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) November 16, 2020
The federal government has faced such a defeat in the region for the first time, she said, adding that it was telling the story of [PTI’s] defeat in the coming days.
Who is to form government in GB?
According to the unofficial results of 23 constituencies of G-B, the PTI bagged 10 seats, leading other major political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with three seats, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with two seats.
The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan (MWM) secured one seat after seat adjustment with the PTI in one constituency, whereas independent candidates emerged victorious in seven constituencies, according to the unofficial results.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, while chairing a meeting of the government and party spokespersons in the federal capital, said that the PTI would form the government in G-B to redress the problems of the masses in the backward areas with focus on the development projects.
Read More: GB rejects PML-N’s narrative
Imran said that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan rejected the narrative of the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He directed the spokesperson to expose corruption cases against the opposition leaders.
Political analysts are of the view that this time PTI will form the government in GB. Reliable sources told GVS that independent candidates are expected to join PTI. “We are to form government in GB, and the people of GB will see a new GB will be made under the leadership of Imran Khan,” a PTI leader told GVS.
GB: A brief background
The territory of Gilgit-Baltistan was granted limited autonomy in 2009 after the then-President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Empowerment and Self Governance Order in a bid to empower its over 1 million population. In November 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Gilgit-Baltistan would be given the status of a provisional province, and the process to fully convert it into an actual province is currently underway
Read More: We demand free and fair elections in GB: Bilawal Bhutto
The PPP secured 20 seats in 2009. Following the elections in 2015, Pakistan Muslim League (N), emerged as the largest party winning 16 of the 24 general seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, and securing a supermajority in the assembly after the three technocrat and six women representatives were added with a final total of 22 out of 33 seats. Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman was elected as the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Maryam Nawaz to create unrest after a crushing defeat?
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s special assistant on information, has revealed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) vice-President Maryam Nawaz is likely to create unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan after losing elections. “We have some reports suggesting Maryam’s plan to create unrest in the region after facing a crushing defeat,” Dr. Awan told media persons. However, it is yet to be seen what policy does the PML-N formally announce after yesterday’s crushing defeat.