Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir should be held simultaneously with the rest of the country, maintaining this will strengthen public sovereignty.
“True public sovereignty would only be ensured if elections in GB were held alongside Pakistan’s general elections,” he told an election rally in Shigar as part of his party’s campaign for the upcoming June 7 polls. He vowed the PPP was committed to securing the rights of the people of GB and ensuring transparent elections in the region.
Bhutto-Zardari called on voters to safeguard their mandate, hoping no seats would be “stolen” in the upcoming polls. Criticizing the “Islamabad-centric” approach to governance, he regretted that some political parties wanted to run GB, Gwadar and Karachi from the federal capital. This was likely a reference to recent reports suggesting the government wants to make these areas into federal territories to improve their governance.
“I want the decisions of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to be made by you, not by a babu sitting in Islamabad,” said the PPP leader, stressing the people of the region should be empowered to make their own decisions. “If the people of Shigar are given authority, they will achieve economic development,” he added.
Referring to recent remarks from various ministers regarding Pakistan’s financial situation, Bhutto-Zardari said if the federation was facing financial difficulties, it should consider closing the ministries dealing with GB and AJK. He said the PPP had initiated the largest welfare initiatives of the country, including the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). Only the PPP, he claimed, could protect it. Other parties, he alleged without naming anyone, wanted to “end the BISP in one way or another.”
Rejecting suggestions to devolve the BISP to the provinces, he maintained the global practice was for the federal government to undertake such responsibilities. He said he had promoted BISP as a successful welfare model while foreign minister, recalling he had urged Afghanistan to adopt it to help its poor.
The PPP leader concluded his speech by reiterating his demand for free and fair elections in GB, calling on voters to safeguard their mandate during the upcoming polls. “Even today, our demand is that transparent elections should be held in Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said, advising them to secure “Form-45” and he would take care of “Form-47.”