JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman rejects UK election results

PESHAWAR:

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday rejected the results of the recent general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Addressing a press conference alongside Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Asad Qaiser in Peshawar, Fazl said the election result in Gilgit-Baltistan was not acceptable.

“Based on the initial information we have received, we have decided to jointly reject the results of the elections held in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said. He stressed the need for political unity on key national issues, saying: “The federal government must take all parties into confidence, including on matters of law and order. »

The PPP came out on top in the UK election, with unofficial results showing the party ahead with 11 of the 24 seats up for grabs in Sunday’s poll. The PML-N was leading in five constituencies; the PTI on three, and its ally, MWM, on one seat. Independent candidates were ahead in two constituencies. However, no party managed to achieve a majority.

PTI President’s lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, speaking at a separate press conference on Monday, said the party would observe a “black day” on the day of swearing-in in Gilgit-Baltistan and release a white paper on the alleged electoral irregularities. He claimed that the PTI had “won 100 percent in eight seats” before the final results and accused authorities of pre-election fraud and a “systematic plan” to exclude the party from the electoral process.

Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas of MWM also denounced large-scale manipulation, citing delays in announcing results and selective dissemination of results, which he said raised serious questions about transparency.

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The Mahmood Khan Achakzai-led Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan alliance also held a consultative meeting and alleged that opposition parties, especially the PTI, were deliberately sidelined during the election process. In its post-meeting statement, the alliance called the elections a “replay of the 2024 general elections” and categorically rejected the results.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, calling the elections “successful, transparent, peaceful and politically vibrant”, and praised the Election Commission for ensuring a fair and impartial process.

Britain’s Chief Electoral Commissioner, Raja Shahbaz Khan, also ordered a re-vote at five polling stations following petitions from losing candidates. A new poll will be held on June 15 at one polling station in GBA-15 and four polling stations in GBA-16 after objections were raised to the initial voting process.