ISLAMABAD: As Gilgit-Baltsitan Legislative Assembly elections are drawing closer, the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Thursday once again accused the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of pre-poll rigging.
PPP parliamentary leader in Senate Sherry Rehman said that the PTI is busy in pre-poll rigging in Gilgit Baltistan through ‘bribing’ rival party candidates.
The allegations from the PPP senator came after Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur who is busy in electioneering for PTI candidates in GB, appointed Safeer Abbas as his adviser on GB after he witdrew his candidature for a PTI candidate in Skardu 1.
“Blatant corruption and rigging in GB as a sitting minister Gandapur bribes candidate to stand down in PTI’s favour in Skardu 1 and appoints him “advisor”. Where is the Election Commission,” she questioned.
She also uploaded a hand written notification allegedly issued by the minister for the appointment of Abbas as adviser on GB, and said: “This bizarre notification is proof of the TabahiSarkar’s [destructive government] intentions and fears”.
The minister appointed Abbas of Islami Ittehad Pakistan (ITP) for Skardu 1 as adviser to the Minister for Gilgit Baltistan after he withdrew his candidature in favour of PTI’s Raja Zikria Khan.
As the GB Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled for November 15, there are only four female candidates who have been given tickets to contest elections on general seats.
Section 206 of the Elections Act, 2017, obligates political parties to give 5% of their tickets on general seats to women, which means at least one out of 20 tickets should be given to female candidate.
But contrary to the fact, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has fielded 23 candidates and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) 21 candidates each.
The PPP and PTI in compliance with Elections Act 2017 issued ticket to one female candidate each meeting the minimum criteria while the PML-N whose election campaign is being run by party’s vice-president Maryam Nawaz has not given ticket to any woman.
The JUI has given ticket to a woman on a general seat, and rest of the parties participating in the elections did not even bother to follow Section 206 of the Elections Act, 2017.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020