RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has warned against any attempts to alter the election results in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying that the party will not tolerate any manipulation of the public mandate.
Speaking to the media outside the Adiala jail on Tuesday, the PTI chairman claimed that his party secured a definitive majority in the region’s polls. Out of the 22 candidates fielded by the PTI, the party won 15 seats following the completion of counting process. He noted that official results from 17 constituencies already confirmed the PTI’s victory on eight seats, reiterating that the party would vehemently oppose any attempts to allocate its won seats to political rivals.
Turning his attention to national economic matters and the upcoming federal budget, he noted that a summary had been forwarded to schedule the parliamentary session for June 12. The PTI Parliamentary Committee would soon convene to finalise its strategy on how to approach the budget session. He emphasised that the government’s foremost priority must be providing immediate financial relief to the public, pointing out that unprecedented inflation has left citizens struggling to afford basic utility bills and fuel expenses.
He expressed concern that the PTI leadership remains entirely unaware of exact conditions under which Imran Khan is being kept, asserting that as a former prime minister and the head of a major political party, Khan is legally entitled to regular visitations.
Dismissing persistent rumours of internal discord, Gohar categorically denied the existence of any forward bloc within the party. He ruled out any possibility of forming a coalition or joining hands with rival political entities in Gilgit-Baltistan, reinforcing that the PTI’s stance against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) remains inflexible. He declared that the PTI does not believe in power-sharing formulas and will not collaborate with political opponents whom the party accuses of stealing the public mandate.
On regional affairs, Gohar reiterated the PTI’s long-standing position that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved through peaceful dialogue and mutual understanding, while clarifying that the ongoing issue surrounding the 12 refugee seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is strictly a constitutional matter.
Addressing the party’s relationship with state institutions, Gohar stated that the PTI has always honoured the sacrifices and positive contributions of armed forces. He emphasized that the party remains strictly opposed to violence and any actions that bypass the rule of law, reaffirming the PTI’s commitment to peaceful protest as a fundamental democratic right. Furthermore, he dismissed recent reports claiming that a prominent personality had held a secret meeting with Imran Khan inside the Adiala jail, labeling the rumours as entirely false and baseless.
The PTI chairman expressed solidarity with a protest proposed by Sohail Afridi outside the parliament to advocate the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, demanding that the province receive its rightful financial share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. He noted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister would make the final decisions regarding the provincial budget.
