Daily Times

In the next few days, Muhammad Baqir Sheikh will formally announce his joining the PTI at a press conference, after which Muhammad Baqir Sheikh will be made the Chief Minister’s Adviser or Special Assistant.

According to sources, the PTI government of Gilgit-Baltistan, especially the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, wants to win the Nagar by-election in any case. The Chief Minister has been in continuous talks with the leaders of the Islamic Movement for the last three to four months in this regard, but the talks with the Islamic Movement were not successful, after which the PTI leaders, the Chief Minister and the PTI Candidate Agha Beheshti has started separate contacts with influential personalities of the constituency and the talks with the leader of Islamic Movement Muhammad Baqir Sheikh in this regard have been successful.

According to sources, in this regard Muhammad Baqir Sheikh recently met Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed in Gilgit. A detailed meeting has been held with Khurshid in which Muhammad Baqir Sheikh has agreed to join PTI. According to sources, during a meeting with the Chief Minister, Muhammad Baqir Sheikh said that he had a personal vote bank of about 3,000 in the constituency and he would do his best to get at least 2,000 votes in favor of the PTI candidate.

He said that he will run an election campaign in favor of a regular PTI candidate in the constituency. According to sources, the Chief Minister had earlier offered Muhammad Baqir Sheikh to be the coordinator but he apologized for not being the coordinator, after which Muhammad Baqir was offered to be the Chief Minister’s Adviser or Special Assistant, a post which he accepted.

After the return of the Chief Minister to Gilgit from Islamabad, Muhammad Baqir Sheikh will announce his joining the PTI in a regular press conference after which Muhammad Baqir Sheikh will be made the Chief Minister’s Adviser or Special Assistant. Mohammad Baqir has taken his close friends and relatives and close voters into confidence in joining PTI and Mohammad Baqir Sheikh will attend the press conference along with his supporters.

According to sources, as soon as Muhammad Baqir Sheikh’s possible joining the PTI was reported, some leaders and activists of the Islamic Movement have intensified their contacts with Muhammad Baqir Sheikh and are trying to stop him from joining the PTI. Muhammad Baqir Sheikh said only that talks were being held with the PTI and a final decision would be taken on the return of the Chief Minister from Islamabad to Gilgit. Mohammad Baqir Sheikh posted a picture of himself on his Facebook page on Sunday with pictures of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid and Finance Minister Javed Ali Manwa, saying that he would soon embark on a new journey in Nagar.

As soon as the news of Muhammad Baqir Sheikh’s possible joining the PTI is received, there is a debate in Nagar Constituency 4 as to how many votes he will cut, how much he will harm the candidate of the Islamic Movement and how many votes he will benefit the PTI candidate.

It should be noted that Muhammad Baqir Sheikh is the son of the late Allama Sheikh Ghulam Haider Najafi, a prominent religious scholar of Gilgit-Baltistan. Sheikh Ghulam Haider Najafi twice won the election from this constituency on the ticket of Islamic Movement and after winning the election in 1999 he was also the food advisor.

After his death, his eldest son Mohammad Ali Sheikh was elected Member of Assembly in late 2015. After the death of Mohammad Ali Sheikh in 2017, his younger brother Mohammad Baqir Sheikh contested from this constituency but he lost the election to PPP’s Javed Hussain.

It should also be noted that GBA-4 Nagar Kaya constituency has been the only constituency where the vote bank of the Islamic Movement is safe and the politics of the Islamic Movement in Gilgit-Baltistan is related to this constituency. If the Islamic Movement is defeated from this constituency again, then the Islamic Movement from Gilgit-Baltistan will be eliminated from electoral politics.