GB chief election commissioner rejects rigging claims, says rulings due Monday

GILGIT/LAHORE: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan has dismissed allegations of rigging in the June 7 general elections and said rulings on pending election petitions will be issued on Monday.

According to an official statement, the chief election commissioner said the elections were conducted in a clean, transparent, peaceful and impartial manner, and that the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission had met all constitutional and legal requirements. He said decisions on all pending petitions would be made within the timeframe set under Section 89 of the Elections Act, 2017.

Raja Shahbaz Khan said petitions from different constituencies began to be filed after the polls on June 8 and were being heard under the Elections Act. He said hearings in 10 election petitions had been completed so far, while the remaining cases would also be heard according to schedule. He added that all petitioners and their lawyers were given full opportunity to present their arguments, and that decisions would be made in light of the law and the available evidence so that each rightful claimant received their due.

He further said Form-45 had been provided to polling agents at all polling stations in line with election laws, and maintained that the electoral process had remained fully transparent.

PPP and PML-N exchange allegations

Separately, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz continued trading criticism over the Gilgit-Baltistan election results and the formation of the next government. The PPP also urged the GB chief election commissioner to ensure that the peaceful election process was not affected by what it described as controversial decisions.

PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique, who had been assigned by his party leadership to oversee campaigning for the June 7 polls, said in a post on X that the party’s aim was to protect Gilgit-Baltistan from horse-trading and political bargaining. He said there had been no justification for the PPP leadership to accuse the PML-N or adopt what he described as a disrespectful tone toward the party.

PPP senior leader and former Gilgit-Baltistan governor Qamar Zaman Kaira responded by indirectly alleging manipulation during and after the polls, and warned against any move to deprive his party of its mandate.

"While the party leadership was congratulating us on our victory, certain ministers and local political actors were busy attempting to alter the election results. History bears witness to who the true masters of manipulating election outcomes are," he said.

"Had we not protested on election day and raised the issue in the media over the denial of Form-45, Form-47 would never have been issued. Otherwise, the stage had already been set for the familiar game of Forms 46 and 47," Kaira also said.

He also rejected the PML-N’s assertion that two independent candidates were aligned with it, calling that claim contrary to facts.

On the other hand, Rafique said he had advised the Sharif leadership to let the PML-N sit on the opposition benches in Gilgit-Baltistan. He said the PPP had secured around 28 per cent of the vote, while the PML-N had received 22 per cent. Referring to preliminary unofficial results, he said the PPP had won 10 seats and the PML-N six, while also claiming that two independent candidates had the backing of the PML-N.

Rafique also criticised the PPP over local government politics in Karachi and its past commitments to the MQM, saying that such conduct did not entitle it to taunt the PML-N over government formation in Lahore.