ISLAMABAD: The leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) have said that it would request PTI Chairman Imran Khan to dissolve Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly and hold fresh elections after he takes oath as prime minister, adding the countdown for the regional government has started.
The view was shared by PTI leaders in a joint news statement. The leaders were included PTI regional President Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon, General Secretary Fatehullah Khan, Senior Vice President Shah Nasir, Information Secretary Taqi Akhunzada and others.
The PTI leaders said the people of Gilgit Baltistan wanted change as they have lost trust in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) regional government. They said the opposition tolerated the regional government’s bad governance and corruption for the last three years, but the time for it to end is nearing.
They accused the regional government of massive corruption, bad governance, and usurping of fundamental rights of the people. They said the PML-N regional government has not only failed to resolve the people’s problems, but has also become a serious threat to the country’s security, as Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman issued statements against state institutions for the sake of defending his party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in corruption cases.
They added that Imran Khan would announce his government’s policy towards Gilgit Baltistan soon after taking oath as prime minister, saying the PTI chairman would not let anyone deprive the people of Gilgit Baltistan of their inalienable rights. The regional leadership would request the prime minister in-waiting to dissolve the Legislative Assembly and demolish the Gilgit Baltistan Order 2018 approved by the previous PML-N federal government.
The regional PML-N government, including the chief minister, ran the election campaign ahead of 2018 general election through tax money, they alleged.
Gilgit Baltistan should be given an interim provincial setup and its people legal rights without affecting the Kashmir cause, they said in response to a question.