ISLAMABAD:
With days before the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly polls, allegations of pre-election fraud, selective administrative restrictions and institutional friction have intensified, raising new questions about the fairness of the electoral environment in this strategically important region.
The controversy intensified after former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser warned that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would take to the streets if the June 7 elections were not held in a transparent manner. He also called the party’s decision not to protest after the February 2024 general election a “mistake”, signaling a more confrontational stance if the UK election results are challenged.
Tensions escalated on May 29 when PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa president and MP Junaid Akbar Khan, along with party legislators Saleemur Rehman, Syed Mehboob Shah and Dr Amjad Ali Khan, were arrested at a police checkpoint in Ghizer district while returning from election activities.
The authorities cited the absence of a no-objection certificate (NOC) required for public gatherings. The PTI denounced the move as targeted obstruction, while police said no arrests had been made.
Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Saturday alleged that Punjab Police stopped him from reaching Islamabad airport, causing him to miss his scheduled flight to Skardu.
He condemned the restrictions imposed on PTI leaders participating in the election campaign.
In contrast, PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique spoke at a series of public rallies across Britain on Sunday as part of his party’s election campaign.
Other senior leaders of the ruling coalition, including federal ministers Atta Tarar and Amir Muqam, also remained active in the election campaign in several constituencies.
The PTI cited the freedom of movement and election campaigning of rival political leaders as evidence of what it describes as unequal treatment during the electoral process.
In its official response, the PTI went beyond individual incidents and alleged a broader pattern of pressure on candidates.
The party says election commission officials contacted some candidates and urged them to abandon the PTI and run on government-backed lists.
He also cited a notice issued to former chief minister Khalid Khurshid’s mother for displaying election posters as an example of selective enforcement.
PTI candidates are largely contesting elections as independents after apparently failing to secure the party symbol, a development that has further complicated the party’s electoral prospects in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police confirmed on May 31 that more than 5,000 personnel would be deployed for election missions in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Although authorities insist the deployment is part of standard security measures, questions have been raised about its scale and whether similar deployments were carried out in previous elections in the region.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry rejected the PTI’s allegations, saying the government had no interest in undermining the electoral process.
He attributed the restrictions imposed on Asad Qaiser to security considerations rather than political motives.
For its part, the British electoral administration has rejected the allegations of bias. Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan asserted that the code of conduct was implemented uniformly across all political parties and said show-cause notices had also been issued to candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for violations.
Institutional tensions further intensified when Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi wrote to the Chief Justice of the High Court of Gilgit-Baltistan, lamenting the reported restrictions as “deeply disturbing” and seeking judicial intervention to ensure a level playing field.
The chief election commissioner responded sharply on Sunday, saying the letter had no legal force and constituted interference in the electoral process.
The public exchange between a provincial chief executive and the British electoral authority, just days before the vote, highlights the growing institutional tension surrounding the election.
Current tensions are rooted in a changing political landscape. The PTI won the 2020 Gilgit-Baltistan elections and formed the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid.
However, his disqualification by the UK’s top court in July 2023 paved the way for a coalition government comprising PTI dissidents, PPP lawmakers and PML-N, which subsequently elected Haji Gulbar Khan as chief minister.
The PTI is now seeking to make a political comeback in the region without its party symbol, amid what it denounces as stricter campaign conditions and amid allegations of administrative pressure.
The assembly completed its five-year term in November 2025. The elections, originally scheduled for January 24, were postponed due to harsh winter conditions. The June 7 date was then finalized as the only possible window before the start of Muharram in mid-June, which otherwise would have pushed voting to late summer or early fall.
As polling day approaches, the PTI has already signaled that it will not accept a contested result in Britain in the same way it claims to have done after the February 2024 general election.
