PPP delegation to visit GB for candidate interviews ahead of polls

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP) is dispatching a delegation of its central leaders to Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday in connection with the upcoming elections in the region.

The delegation comprises Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Humayun Khan, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Qamar Zaman Kaira. During the visit, members of the PPP Election Board will interview the party’s prospective candidates for the polls in Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to PPP Secretary General and senior leader Senator Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, the party’s Election Board for Gilgit-Baltistan has already held two meetings in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Board In-Charge Faryal Talpur.

Party preparations for GB elections

Bukhari said the party had moved beyond pledges in Gilgit-Baltistan and had taken practical measures there. He said Quaid-i-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had given the people of Gilgit-Baltistan the right to vote as well as the right to public representation.

He said it was a matter of honour for the PPP that Gilgit-Baltistan was granted administrative status, and added that the party had initiated major public welfare and development schemes in the area.

Bukhari also referred to the role of PPP workers from Gilgit-Baltistan in the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against dictatorship, describing their struggle as historic.

He further said the people of Gilgit-Baltistan had given an unparalleled welcome to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto during her visits to the region. He added that, because of what he described as the PPP’s historic steps, the people had deep affection for President Asif Ali Zardari.

Confidence ahead of the vote

Expressing confidence about the upcoming contest, Bukhari said the party expected strong results in the elections.

"Pakistan Peoples Party did not make promises in Gilgit-Baltistan — it took practical steps. It is an honour for the Pakistan People’s Party that Gilgit-Baltistan was granted administrative status. In the upcoming elections, PPP candidates will succeed with a heavy majority. The next Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan will be a jiyala," he said.

He also said party office-bearers and workers were campaigning across Gilgit-Baltistan on the democratic and public-service narrative of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, which he referred to as Hope of Pakistan.

The announcement comes as political activity gathers pace in Gilgit-Baltistan ahead of the elections, with the PPP moving to complete its candidate selection process through interviews by its election board.