Bilawal seeks ‘heavy mandate’ in GB polls to complete PPP’s ‘unfinished mission’

• PPP chairman urges voters to secure party’s majority to safeguard Gilgit-Baltistan’s rights

• Claims past election seats were ‘stolen,’ saying this time results cannot be altered

• Credits Bhutto legacy for subsidies, district status and institutional framework in GB

• Promises implementation of land ownership legislation and protection of “common land” status

 DIAMER: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday urged voters in Gilgit-Baltistan to give his party a “heavy” mandate by securing a majority in the upcoming elections, saying this was essential to complete what he described as the “unfinished mission” of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and to safeguard the rights of the region.

Addressing a rally in Ghizer amid a surge of election campaigning in Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal said the PPP wanted a “heavy majority in GB — not for me, but for you,” so that the party could advance the “unfinished mission” of its founding leaders in the region.

شکریہ غذر
آج غذر کے عوام کی بھرپور شرکت نے واضح کردیا کہ گلگت بلتستان کی عوام اپنے مسائل کے حل کیلئے صرف پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی پر اعتماد کرتی ہے۔

پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی سیاست کو اقتدار نہیں بلکہ عوامی خدمت کا ذریعہ سمجھتی ہے۔ اگر آپ مجھے گلگت بلتستان سے بھاری اکثریت سے کامیاب کرواتے… pic.twitter.com/ZguZYYuMp7

— Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 4, 2026

Referring to the nine seats the PPP had won in the last GB elections, he claimed that other seats had been “stolen.” This time, he said, “no one can steal seats from you,” adding that all three seats in Ghizer would go to the PPP.

The PPP chairman highlighted what he called the contributions of past party leadership, noting Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s subsidies that, according to him, continue to benefit the region, and Benazir Bhutto’s role in granting Ghizer district status. He added that former president Asif Ali Zardari had given the region its assembly, identity, governor and chief minister, saying: “Now it is my turn and yours.”

“It is the new generation’s responsibility to secure more rights for GB,” he said, adding that he sought a mandate from the region so that Islamabad would be compelled to respect the wishes of the people before creating any new provinces.

Bilawal stressed that a PPP majority, including all three Ghizer seats, was necessary to advance what he described as the region’s right to sovereignty.

He noted that 28,000 square kilometres of land in GB had previously belonged to the state, and said it was through the efforts of the PPP and its assembly members that legislation was passed to declare it “your land, common land” under the law.

Responding to criticism, he said: “The people who say the PPP does not deliver on its promises should remember we have been in politics for three generations, and for three generations we have a record of keeping our word.”

“Now what remains is implementation of this legislation,” he added. “If I do not get a government, if I do not get all three seats in Ghizer, if I do not get seats in Baltistan, Gilgit, and the Diamer division, if I am stopped from installing my chief minister, then I know the PML-N or another party will tear up our legislation like a piece of paper. My promise will remain incomplete.”

Bilawal also underscored the right to ownership as a key electoral pledge, saying the PPP wanted to grant ownership of arable land to the people of the region.

He cited the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood-Affectees (SPHF) programme, under which two million houses are being built for flood-affected families with ownership of land and homes transferred directly to beneficiaries. He described it as the “largest land transfer in Pakistan’s history” since the land reforms introduced by his grandfather, adding that it had also generated one million jobs in Sindh.

He said the PPP intended to launch a similar housing scheme in Gilgit-Baltistan, beginning with Ghizer, to support communities affected by natural disasters and flooding.

Reiterating the party’s third pledge — the “right to employment” — Bilawal said the PPP believed in creating jobs across the public and private sectors.

He contrasted the PPP with other political parties, saying PPP leaders competed to generate employment, while others, he claimed, competed “to see how many people they can make unemployed.”

“After the PPP government left, no provincial government in GB has given jobs — they have been stolen,” he said.

He described this as the “fundamental difference” between the PPP and other parties: “The PPP gives employment; they steal employment.”

Bilawal pledged that if elected, the PPP would prioritise job creation for youth through public, private, and skill-based opportunities.

He added that all recruitment would be strictly merit-based, saying he intended to use artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to ensure transparency in selection processes.

Bilawal has been addressing a series of campaign rallies in the region over recent days, including in Shigar earlier this week, where he said any new constitutional amendment must protect the rights of Gilgit-Baltistan.