Daily Times

Election Commission Gilgit-Baltistan has marked 15 Nov as the day of Election. GB Electoral system has a unique history, the first elections were held in the region in 2009 through GB Ordinance act 2009, in continuation to 2009 & 2015 elections 2020 elections are going to be sparked on 15Nov. With the announcement of election day, the mainstream political parties of Pakistan have started their election campaigns and the electoral euphoria of local people have been elevated by the leadership of their parties.

Electoral euphoria has been flooded when the party second in command leadership the region. The election fever is on peak where Nationalist, Independent, and mainstream political parties are contesting their campaigns vehemently and enthusiastically. PPP GB Chapter has triggered the elections campaign by inviting BilawalZardari to the region. He has elevated the election fever through a long week of campaign in the region. PPP has a strong grip on the regional politics of Gilgit Baltistan. They strengthened their position when their party has introduced GB Ordinance Act 2009, which later supported their campaign and did a landslide victory and came to power. Likewise, PPP, other mainstream political parties PMLN GB chapter has also started their campaign under the leadership of Maryam Safdar. She visited almost every district and supported her parties’ manifesto. In contrast to PPP, PMLN has a good image in terms of developmental projects and enhancing the civic society of the region.

Granting GB, a provisional provincial status is considered the vaguest statement in GB’s intelligentsia. Such a notorious statement has been issued by every political leader of Pakistan

Granting GB, a provisional provincial status is considered the vaguest statement in GB’s intelligentsia. Such a notorious statement has been issued by every political leader of Pakistan. Recently, issuing a statement by PM Imran Khan in granting GB a provisional provincial status is considered to gambit in chasing votes. Although PTI is best known for her U-turn decisions internationally but in the region, there is news from different areas that they did horse-trading. Despite all that, the PTI leadership visited the region which was led by Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs &Gilgit Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur. Being a non-serious person having no basic knowledge of the region has been placed on top ministry. Such a decision from PTI leadership show their incompetency in decision making and shows their seriousness in dealing the Gilgit-Baltistan.

Gilgit-Baltistan is the administrative part of Pakistan under the UNCIP and UNMOGIP resolutions. Despite all the facts, many writers and politicians always manipulated the historical facts of Gilgit Baltistan just to seek attention. The decision in granting GB a provisional or permanent province of Pakistan is against the resolutions of the UN General Assembly. Many writers have written that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto has demolished the FCR and Feudal system in the region but, in the official gazette of Gilgit Baltistan, it has been documented that more than ten people have sacrificed and around sixty people have been imprisoned in jail while demanding the right to rule, which later on became a spark in abolishing FCR and feudal system. Likewise, this PPP also demolished the (SSR 1927) State Subject Rule in 1974 without any legal notice and law. This law preserves the rights of local people in every aspect. Rather when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, he has signed a provisional draft of the Sino-Pak treaty 1963 under which the Taskurgan region has been given to the Chinese government. Likewise, PMLN enhanced the civic society but on the other hand, they supported such laws that are used to suppress the voice of truth and resistance from the region. They supported the Khalsa Sarkar Scheme a land-grabbing scheme which give the right to govt to control the barren land of the regions with the help of power. According to the Human Rights Commission Pakistan’s 2018 report under the PMLN govt the agencies have threatened the political figures who raise their voices for the cause of Gilgit-Baltistan. Black laws have been introduced and implemented to suppress the voices.

Although every party either Nationalist, independent or mainstream political parties they are trying their best to coup the 2020 elections and gain the trust of local people. The statistics of 2009 and 2015 elections have shown that the ruling party in the federal forms the government in the region. But every intellectual is aware of all past lollipops that have been given to the people of the region in the name of granting self-rule rights. Following the past polls, this election has a twisting point, the registered voters of the region are mostly youth who are educated and politically aware and speak on different social platforms for the cause the Gilgit Baltistan and demanding identity crisis solution under the UN resolutions. Nonetheless, every change takes place on the battlefield. Let’s observe the election day, either youth turns the political euphoria to a rationalistic approach, or the establishment leads the elections?

The writer is a freelancer