LAHORE:
Two of the three main political players in Gilgit-Baltistan – the PPP, an ally of the Centre’s coalition government, 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 guise of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s visit, is worrying and amounts to interference in the electoral process, raising questions on the transparency, fairness and impartiality of the elections.
He demanded that the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the UK Electoral Commission immediately send notices to those affected.
Murtaza said the PPP would not allow its seats to be “snatched” in the elections and that the sun of June 7 would bring news of the PPP’s victory in Britain.
The PTI, for its part, condemned allegations of “large-scale rigging” and serious violations of the electoral process in Britain.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed 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 had been prevented from entering Britain and had been 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 officers carrying lists identified individuals affiliated with the PTI by name and appearance and prevented them from entering the area, a practice he described as a blatant 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 NOC permission to restrict their election campaign activities. The refusal to allow public gatherings, processions and corner meetings, he added, is clear evidence that the state apparatus is operating according to a specific agenda.
He described these actions as pre-election fraud, discriminatory treatment and attempts to suppress the PTI’s political activities – methods similar to those employed 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 split the vote and influence the election results.
Independent candidates, he said, are being pressured to support ruling parties, raising serious concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
He compared the situation to the alleged pressure and manipulation faced by PTI-backed independent candidates in 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 afoot in Britain. He said the party had little confidence in the postal voting system, the pre-election environment and the conduct of the vote.
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 benefited from Form 47 and described the statement as an open admission of pre-poll fraud.
He further said that PTI candidates were being openly threatened and told that they would never be allowed to win and would face the same treatment as former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said such conduct is not democratic politics but the worst form of political authoritarianism.
