Electioneering ends in Gilgit Baltistan

ISLAMABAD: Electioneering in Gilgit-Baltistan ends at midnight on Friday as the region will go for polls on Nov 15. The chief election commissioner said that legal action would be taken against those political leaders and parties for violating the rules. “Allegations of fraud and rigging by leaders of the opposition parties were baseless and it was beyond comprehension to make such allegations in advance,” the commissioner stated. With the election campaign by mainstream political parties ends, the region's administration said at least 15,900 law enforcement personnel would be deployed for security purposes. Voting would commence in 23 constituencies on November 15. About 1,160 polling stations and 847 polling booths have been set up, of which 418 had been declared highly sensitive, 311 sensitive and 431 normal. Earlier on November 10, the G-B Supreme Appellate Court suspended a verdict of G-B Chief Court which had ordered Pakistani lawmakers to leave the region within 72 hours, barring them from taking part in the campaign for the November 15 elections.

The Supreme Appellate Court suspended the Chief Court’s orders till November 12 besides issuing notices to the parties to appear in the hearing on the date. According to the Appellate Court decision, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other lawmakers were allowed to campaign in G-B for the elections. A two-member bench issued the ruling on a plea filed by Bilawal seeking suspension of the chief court’s orders.