Daily Times

Gilgit-Baltistan Caretaker Chief Minister Mir Afzal on Friday said help would not be taken from the Pakistan Army in the upcoming elections for the Legislative Assembly.

Elections on the 24 general seats of the GB Legislative Assembly will be held on Nov 15, according to a notification signed by President Arif Alvi last month.

In a press conference, Afzal said help would only be taken from police and paramilitary forces during the elections. “We will prove that police and paramilitary forces have full capability to help with conducting the elections,” he said. “We will set an example for the whole country by conducting GB elections without [help from] the army,” he added.

However, army officials could be posted in “sensitive areas” depending on the conditions, he said. Afzal said the caretaker government was “neutral” and would investigate if evidence of rigging was found.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) banned the prime minister and other government officials from visiting GB until elections have been held.

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan, in a press conference, said that according to the rules of conduct of the election commission, no government official could visit the region or run an election campaign. He said the PML-N had lost control of its workers and was now levelling allegations of “political engineering” against the ECP.

Expressing the resolve to conduct “transparent elections at any cost”, Khan said help would be taken from GB Scouts, Rangers, police and Frontier Corps. Khan too said that the army would only be posted at sensitive polling stations. “Arrangements for the elections are being made according to the coronavirus situation,” he added.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had warned last month that any rigging in the Gilgit-Baltistan might become a big security risk for the country. Similarly, the PML-N leaders have repeatedly stated that the government had planned to rig the elections and the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif was aimed at sabotaging the party’s campaign. PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz at a recent press conference had said that the party workers and leaders were being intimidated to get their political loyalties changed.