Bilawal says GB CEC busy in forming PTI govt

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Thursday accused Chief Election Commissioner of being biased in favour of the federal government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and said he was busy in forming the PTI government there.

“The Election Commissioner of Gilgit-Baltistan has been proved to be biased in favour of the federal government. On whose instructions he held a press conference in Islamabad against opposition,” he asked in a press talk with the newsmen in Gilgit on Thursday.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that a journalist had tweeted a photograph of Election Commissioner sitting with governor Gilgit-Baltistan and PTI minister Amin Gandapur. “How can you sit with ministers of the government when you are the election commissioner,” he said. He said, “We have always said this is not an election commission, but PTI’s election wing.”

He asked clarification from election commissioner of this photograph. “The election commissioner not only sold the people of Gilgit-Baltistan but also the land of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.

Bilawal said the government in Islamabad will be sent packing by January. He said that the people of GB are supporting the PPP for the last three generations. “The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have shown trust on the opposition by voting far more for the opposition parties than the PTI,” he said, adding that they have displayed mistrust on this fake PTI government.

He said that women were not allowed to vote in Tangir. “The entire world knows about it through foreign media present in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said. He demanded to provide these 7000 women their right to vote as the law says that these women should be allowed to vote. “The PPP jiyalas forced this Election Commission to recount and soon we will get the good news that PPP won other seats as well,” he said. He said the recounting had been ordered on GB-21 where ballot boxes were stolen.

He said elections are also being held in GB-3 and he appealed the people to vote for PPP in this constituency. He asked the Election Commissioner that what the delay in announcing the results is.

He said the reports of HRCP and FAFEN clearly show that rigging and violation of election laws happened in the GB elections. “Fafen report says that at least three incidents of rigging and irregularities were reported from every polling station,” he said.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari saluted the people of GB, who made difficult for the federal government to form the government in Gilgit-Baltistan. He appealed to the independent winners not to trade their victory to a government, which is about to end by January. “Do not become a minister for two to three months,” he said.

He asked independent winners to protect the rights of people of GB by not being cheated by the federal government. Responding to questions Bilawal said that PTI is telling every independent that he is the candidate of chief minister, this is befooling them but the PTI will not make them chief minister. “PTI is cheating all of them,” he said.

He said the PTI has not nominated their candidate for chief minister whereas PPP has announced its candidate. He said that the Sindh government was the first in announcing measures to deal with COVID-19 but Imran Khan had made them disputed. “We have to send Imran Khan packing because he has failed on every front whether Kashmir cause to COVID-19 because PTI government does not have the capacity,” he said.

He said that the whole Pakistan will be told about federal government's rigging in Gilgit Baltistan from the stage of PDM public gathering in Peshawar. “We will tell the people that the slogan of "vote par daka na Manzoor" is getting momentum in Gilgit Baltistan. He said, “We have a programme of public gathering, then a long march and then resignations from Parliament and will do anything necessary to send Imran Khan home.

Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan Thursday vehemently refuted the allegations leveled by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, regarding alleged rigging in the recently held GB elections.

Reacting to PPP leader’s charges here, he said to have repeatedly urged Bilawal Bhutto to prove rigging in the poll process and asserted that any statement questioning the elections transparency was regrettable. He reminded the PPP leader that such small things did not suit him being the leader of such a big party.

Raja Shahbaz challenged him to prove rigging in the electoral process with evidence, while asking what is the yardstick of PPP chairman that if the PPP candidate wins in constituency No. 1 then there will be no rigging, but if he fails in constituency No. 2 then the rigging will take place.

GB chief election commissioner pointed out that the non-governmental organisations, which had monitored the election process, had written in the reports that the elections in Gilgit-Baltistan were held in a transparent manner.

Raja Shahbaz also contested the impression that the election watchdogs had raised objections to the transparency of the GB elections. He also remarked, “I strongly condemn any statement that raises questions about the electoral process”.

He noted that 25 people, including election staff, had been present in constituency No. 2 for 4 days and each vote check was being done in front of them. “If any candidate feels any irregularity, he should appear before the tribunal, where the Election Commission itself will appear as a party and justice will be done,” he said.

Raja Shahbaz regretted that despite holding transparent elections in extremely difficult circumstances, he was being accused of wrong-doing, whereas he prepared an electoral roll with pictures of voters to make the poll process transparent.