-Unofficial results
From Our Correspondent
SKARDU: The unofficial results of the Gilgit-Baltistan Election 2020 on Suday showed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has won four seats thus far and leading in five constituencies, followed by PPP who is also leading in 5 GB constituencies.
With political rallies and events of the last few weeks fresh in their minds, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan headed to the polls to elect their third legislative assembly. The voting began at 8:00am and ended at 5:00pm sharp.
According to first unofficial result, PPP’s Muhammad Ismail won the election in GBA-24 constituency by securing 6,206 votes. PTI candidate Syed Shamsuddin came second with 5,361 votes.
Muhammad Kazim of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) – an ally of PTI – won the election in GBA-8 constituency by bagging 7,534 votes. PPP’s Syed M Ali Shah came second with 7,146 votes.
In GBA-12, PTI candidate Raja Azam Khan beat PPP’s Imran Nadeem , bagging 7,534 votes. Nadeem man aged to secure 7,146 votes.
Independent candidate Javed Ali Manwa emerged victorious after bagging 2,570 votes in GBA-5 election. Rizwan Ali of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen secured the second position with 1,850 votes.
In GBA-22, independent candidate Mustaq Hussain with 6,051 votes managed to beat his rival from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Muhammad Ibrahim Sanai, who could only get 4,945 votes.
Raja Zakaria Khan Maqpoon of PTI defeated his PPP opponent Syed Mehdi Shah, former G-B chief minister, in GBA-7 election. Maqpoon secured 5,290 votes while Shah managed to bag 4,114 votes.
PPP candidate Amjad Hussain clinched victory in GBA-4 election by securing 4,716 votes. Muhammad Ayub of Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) came second with 4,291 while Zulfiqar Ali of PTI bagged 2,200 votes.
According to data obtained from the G-B Election Commission, a total of 745,361 people registered to vote today, 339,992 of whom are women. Nearly 1,234 polling stations were set up in the 24 constituencies, of which 415 declared extremely sensitive.
G-B Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan expressed satisfaction over the election arrangements, process and security related matters during his visit to the different polling stations of GBA-1 and GBA-2 constituencies.
Speaking to the media, he said the process of polling continued smoothly throughout the day and no complains or reservations were received from any candidate or voters across the region.
However, expressing concerns over transparency of today’s polls, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Sherry Rehman said, “There are more than 600 members of the Free and Fair Election Network monitoring the election but some have been removed from the polling stations”.
“Members of FAFEN must be given full access and all observers should be allowed inside during the counting of votes as their absence will only create more questions and cause controversy. It is also important that the Election Commission takes strict action,” she said while speaking to the media.
She said, “People who are coming to cast their votes are finding out that their votes have already been cast through postal ballot. It is concerning and PPP has informed the Election Commission but have not received any answer yet”.
“It is unacceptable how women are being restricted from using their right to vote, and such acts will only damage the credibility of these elections. Chief Election Commissioner of Gilgit-Baltistan must ensure that women are allowed to cast their votes in a free and fair manner, without slowing the polling process”.
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood has predicted that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will claim the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) election to be unfair after losing it.
“Let me make a prediction. PPP and PMLN will claim GB election to be unfair in constituencies they lose and very very fair where they win. Get ready for this charade folks,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
He appreciated the long queues of voters witnessed today. However, he stopped short of claiming victory, saying that he would wait for all results to come in.
“Good to see long lines for voting in G-B. This is democracy in action. PTI doing very well as predicted in surveys. Will not claim victory until all results are in,” he wrote in another tweet.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, in a tweet, congratulated people and local administration for holding “extremely peaceful and transparent” elections.
Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad meanwhile appreciated the people of northern areas for exhibiting political maturity in today’s polls.
In an interview with a private television channel, he said that despite international political threats and sensitivity of the region, a large number of people particularly women came out to participate in the electoral process. Gilgit-Baltistan is a hub of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Rashid hoped that PTI, with the help of Majlis Wahadat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and independent candidates, would form the government in the region.
Mountainous people, he said, had given votes to PPP and PML-N in the past elections, but now, the G-B voters are looking towards the PTI leadership for resolution of their issues.
