Published 22:23 IST, September 26th 2020
Bilawal Bhutto condemns Pak govt's interference into upcoming Gilgit-Baltistan elections
Lashing out at the Pakistan government, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party will only interact with Gilgit-Baltistan's EC for polls
Lashing out at the Pakistan government, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday, said that his party will only interact with Gilgit-Baltistan's Election Commission in the upcoming elections in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) territory. He opined that the interference of federal government - namely the Speaker and Federal ministers was condemnable. Zardari has confirmed that his party will contest for the elections based on its own 2018 manifesto.
Bhutto: 'Will engage only with EC-GB'
Pakistan to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan
On Wednesday, Pakistan President Arif Alvi approved elections to be conducted for the Legislative Assembly of PoK's Gilgit Baltistan on November 15. Recently, government representatives and opposition leaders such as PML(N)'s Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and PPP's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sherry Rehman participated in discussions with the military high command, including Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Bajwa and ISI DG Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed at the Pakistan Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The Pakistan government has signed a Rs 442-billion contract with a joint venture formed by China Power and Pakistan Army for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam in Gilgit-Baltistan.
As per local media reports, there was also a consensus in the meeting on making GB a full province of Pakistan with all constitutional rights. Reacting to the development, MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava clarified that any such action by Pakistan had no legal basis. Maintaining that GB will continue to remain a part of India, he advised Pakistan not to interfere in the country's internal matters and demanded Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.
Opposition slams military's interference
However, this latest move orchestrated by Pakistan's military establishment came in for criticism from key opposition leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the PML(N) vice president maintained that GB was a political issue that should be handled by elected representatives. Backing Maryam, Her father and former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif lamented that the sanctity of people's vote has been always trampled upon by the Pakistani Army.
Launching a scathing attack on the military, Sharif highlighted that not a single PM has been allowed to complete the 5-year tenure in Pakistan's history. Alluding to the Pakistan Army, he said that it ran a "parallel government" which was more powerful than the democratically elected government. He described this phenomenon as a "state above the state". According to him, the root cause of Pakistan's problems was the military's refusal to accept the writ of the elected representatives and the existence of a parallel government.
Updated 22:23 IST, September 26th 2020