Observer Report
Gilgit
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.
The reservations expressed by the All Parties Conference held by the opposition parties at the Centre were baseless, he told the press conference. He was referring to one of the demands made in the APC declaration which had called for free and fair elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying the PTI government was trying to manipulate the process.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan 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.
