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PPP and PTI are worried that the government is being too forceful during the election campaign.
BY Mahnoor | 03-06-2026
LAHORE: Two of the three main political parties in Gilgit-Baltistan—the PPP (which supports the central government) and the PTI (the main opposition party)—have expressed concerns about unfairness in the election process.
On Tuesday, PPP leader Syed Hassan Murtaza criticized the government for using official resources during the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, even though the election commission had banned it.
He said that federal ministers and a Punjab minister are campaigning in Gilgit-Baltistan using Nawaz Sharif’s visit as an excuse. He believes this is worrying and interferes with the election, making people doubt if the voting will be fair and honest.
He asked the election leaders to send notices to the people involved right away.
Murtaza stated that the PPP will not let anyone take its election seats and predicted that by June 7, the PPP would win in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Meanwhile, the PTI criticized claims of widespread cheating and serious election rule violations in Gilgit-Baltistan.
PTI official Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that the current situation is similar to the election fraud seen during the February 8, 2024, elections.
He stated that party leader Salman Akram Raja and others were blocked from entering G-B. He called this an ongoing attempt to target PTI leaders, just as happened during the 2024 elections.
He said police officers used lists to identify and stop PTI supporters from entering the area based on their names and looks, which he called a clear violation of democratic rights.
He also claimed that authorities are using NOC permits as an excuse to unfairly restrict PTI candidates and workers nationwide before the February 2024 elections.
He said the government is purposely blocking PTI candidates and leaders from getting permits to limit their election campaigning. He added that banning public rallies and meetings proves the state is following a specific plan to stop them.
He said these actions were meant to cheat before the election, treat people unfairly, and stop PTI from being active—just like what happened before the February 8 vote.
Akram added that in areas where PTI is popular, officials and powerful people are trying to split the votes to change the election results.
He said that independent candidates are being forced to support the ruling parties, which makes people worry that the election is not fair.
He said the situation was like the pressure and unfair treatment that PTI-supported independent candidates faced during the 2024 elections.
He worried that the same cheating seen on February 8, 2024—where results were delayed, forms were ignored, and numbers were changed—was now happening in Gilgit-Baltistan. He stated that his party did not trust the postal voting, the pre-election atmosphere, or how the voting day would be managed.
Akram responded to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s claim that his party would “handle Form 47.” Akram said people already know which parties use Form 47 to cheat, and called the statement a clear confession of election rigging.
He added that PTI candidates are being openly threatened. They are told they cannot win and will be treated like former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said this is not real democracy, but a bad way of controlling politics through force.
