PML-N chief addresses meeting during day-long visit, vows to bring region’s road, power and air issues before PM
PML-N President Nawaz Sharif addresses a public rally in Gilgit-Baltistan on June 2, 2026.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday pledged to pursue major infrastructure, aviation and energy projects in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), saying he would convey the region’s concerns directly to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pushing for long-awaited development initiatives.
Addressing a public gathering in Britain, the former prime minister said he would seek federal action to improve road infrastructure, expand Gilgit airport and address chronic electricity shortages in the region.
Highlighting the infrastructure deficits in the region, the PML-N leader said on his arrival in Britain, “The condition of the roads has caused me great pain and sadness,” adding that he had seen so many potholes and told people three or four times that seeing the roads made him very sad.
“Earlier, these roads were constructed with enthusiasm,” he said, adding that during his tenure, they “started the road from Mansehra, and it was completed very well up to Thakot.” However, he questioned why it was not completed up to Gilgit and why it did not continue beyond Gilgit to Chilas.
“I don’t want to speak against any party. I don’t want to criticize any government, but my heart urges me to ask: you had the opportunity to govern this country, so why have you neglected this region so much?” » said Nawaz. He added that seeing the current state of Britain saddens him. “Why wasn’t attention paid to it? What was the reason? Your attention was focused elsewhere,” he said.
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Discussing the road project further, Nawaz noted that during his tenure, the road was extended to Skardu at a cost of nearly Rs50 billion. “It is the right of the people of Gilgit, this is not a favor from me,” he said.
“My heart is crying. Why did all of this allow this to happen? Why was the money that should have been spent on you not spent on you? Where was that money spent?” Nawaz questioned, noting that if hospitals were built in the region, it was the PML-N that built them, applying the same to power plants and hydroelectric projects, as well as the Jaglot-Skardu project, all of which he said were initiated and completed by his party.
“Tell me the name of any other party that has even laid the foundation stone of a project here or started construction of a road here,” Nawaz said. Referring to a four-lane highway from Islamabad to Mansehra which he said should have been extended to Britain, the former prime minister said he regretted to say that even the airport remained exactly as it was during his tenure. “It has not been expanded or modernized, the flights are still the same,” Nawaz said, adding that the airport should have been expanded so that jets could land there, as is the case at Skardu.
“If this has still not happened, it causes me great regret and I express my sadness to you from the bottom of my heart,” he said. Nawaz added that he had visited the region on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane, wondering how many flights operate in the region in a week and saying it should be 30.
The PML-N leader assured the gathering that he would meet Prime Minister Shehbaz and request him to expand the airport, thereby creating the capacity for jets to land and take off from the region. Stating that the travel time from Gilgit to Skardu had been reduced from nine to three hours, Nawaz said the party had saved the people of Gilgit six hours of travel time. “How many opportunities have we created for you and your children? Achieving this was one of our most sincere aspirations,” he said.
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Discussing the Lowari Tunnel in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) that connects Dir and Chitral, Nawaz said the project remained unfinished for 30-40 years before it was completed during his tenure. “But here, projects are launched and never seem to come to fruition,” he added, stressing that electricity projects in the region remain a source of particular concern for him due to a shortage of electricity despite abundant water resources.
Expressing gratitude to his brother, the PML-N leader said, “I appreciate Shehbaz Sharif, who allocated 100 megawatts for solar power here,” but noted that he would tell the prime minister that “20-22 hours of load shedding in winter is not acceptable, and 10-12 hours of load shedding in summer is not acceptable either.”
“Others may find it acceptable, but not me,” Nawaz said, assuring the gathering that he would speak to Prime Minister Shehbaz as soon as he returns to Pakistan. “Whether the solution is found or not, only God knows, but we are not depriving you of these things,” he said.
He concluded his speech by saying he would continue to come to Britain “every two or three months” so that the projects in question could get underway. “I would like them to be completed under my own supervision and supervision,” the former prime minister added.
Nawaz arrived in Britain for a one-day visit amid the ongoing campaigning for the upcoming June 7 elections. On his arrival, he was received by Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, former GB Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, and other party leaders.
Federal ministers including Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, along with Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Punjab Chief Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Senator Anusha Rahman and Kazim Pirzada are accompanying Nawaz during his visit.
During his stay in Britain, the PML-N president will hold meetings with party leaders and party ticket holders participating in the elections.
A day ago, the Election Commission issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) allowing Nawaz to travel to Britain to launch his election campaign. The elections, due to take place on June 7, have prompted major political parties to make a final push to mobilize voters across the region before campaigning officially ends later this week.
However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s allegations that the party was banned from campaigning have intensified the political temperature in the region.
In the notification issued by the Secretariat of the Election Commission of GB, the Chief Electoral Commissioner of GB on Tuesday allowed Nawaz’s visit, “to participate in election-related activities”.
He added that the NOC was subject to strict compliance with the Electoral Act 2017, applicable electoral laws and rules and the Code of Conduct for the 2026 General Elections. “Any violation thereof will attract legal consequences under the relevant electoral laws and may result in appropriate action against the candidate(s) concerned and other persons responsible for such violation,” he said.
