Nawaz Sharif to visit Gilgit-Baltistan as PML-N steps up campaign for June 7 polls

LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif will travel to Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday for a one-day visit to meet party leaders and ticket-holders ahead of the June 7 elections in the region, Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said.

In a post on X on Monday, Aurangzeb said the PML-N president would hold meetings with party figures and candidates during the visit. She said he would also review the party’s preparations for the upcoming polls and discuss issues related to the region’s development and public welfare.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission has announced that general elections in the region will be held on June 7 after a delay of four months. Nawaz has largely stayed away from active politics since the February 2024 general elections, though he continues to serve as head of the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival, where he chairs meetings and supervises efforts linked to the protection of the city’s heritage. He also remains a political guide to his daughter, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Earlier in April, Nawaz had said that if his party came to power, it would prioritise development work in Gilgit-Baltistan. He had also said that GB was as important to him as the rest of the country, including Azad Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PTI alleges pre-poll interference

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), meanwhile, issued a statement on Monday alleging that the electoral process in Gilgit-Baltistan was being affected ahead of the vote.

In its statement, the party said:

systematic pre-poll rigging and state-backed repression

The PTI further alleged that the Islamabad-imposed Form-47 government, working with state institutions, the local administration and law enforcement agencies, was being used to shape the election outcome and restrain political opponents.

The party also raised objections to the conduct of the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission. It said a notice issued to the mother of former chief minister Khalid Khurshid over the display of election posters was being used to pressure candidates into leaving PTI and joining parties backed by the government.

The PTI additionally accused the ruling PML-N of breaching the election code of conduct through campaigning at the federal level and by using administrative influence. It said PTI lawmakers were also being stopped from entering the region, and argued that the Election Commission’s response to alleged violations involving PTI candidates and their families had raised questions about the body’s neutrality and independence.