ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari on Saturday alleged that unconstitutional and unlawful tactics were being used to prevent the party from forming the government in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying that the PPP would ultimately establish its government in the region despite what he termed attempts to obstruct its mandate.
“The PPP’s strength has risen to 12 seats following the joining of an independent lawmaker, and the party will command a clear majority of 18 to 19 seats after the allocation of reserved and technocrat seats,” he claimed in a statement on the political and electoral situation in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Expressing concern over recent judicial and electoral developments, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari said authorities suspended the victory notifications of two PPP candidates. He also alleged that, in another constituency, a PPP candidate who had won after the counting of postal ballots was subsequently declared defeated, and Form-49 was issued to the rival candidate without fulfilling the legal requirements. Questioning the Election Commission’s handling of the process, Bokhari said that the official gazette of election results had not yet been issued despite the legal requirement to do so within 14 days of polling. He further alleged that, before the official gazette was published, the Chief Election Commissioner accepted an independent member’s affiliation with the IPP, describing it as a “premature decision”.
On government formation, Bokhari said that the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leadership had approached the PPP and sought ministerial portfolios in return for supporting the party’s bid to form the government.
He added that PPP leaders, including Qamar Zaman Kaira and Amjad Hussain Advocate, had held meetings with PML-N leaders, including Federal Minister Amir Muqam and Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, while contacts with the PML-N leadership were also continuing in Islamabad. Bokhari said that the PPP’s central leadership would make the final decision on the composition of the proposed coalition government and determine which parties would be included in the alliance.
Bokhari reiterated that the party would continue to defend the public mandate through all available constitutional and political forums and remained confident of forming the next government in Gilgit-Baltistan.
