PTI leaders expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan, decry ‘lack of level playing field’

Four leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday, with local party members also detained, just days before the region's general elections scheduled for Sunday. The PTI leadership asserts that they are being systematically prevented from campaigning in the upcoming polls.

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Today, upon entering Gilgit-Baltistan, I, along with Shaukat Basra, Naeem Panjutha, and Zaheer Babar, was stopped by the police within the jurisdiction of Jal Police Station and prevented from proceeding further.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja stated that upon attempting to enter Gilgit-Baltistan, he, along with Shaukat Basra, Naeem Panjutha, and Zaheer Babar, was stopped by police. Raja claimed a police official informed him he was specifically listed and that they were forcibly escorted out of the province. He described these actions as an attempt to restrict their constitutional right to free movement and political activity.

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The DSP informed us that my name had been specifically listed in their records. We and our colleagues from the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) were subsequently surrounded by police vehicles and forcibly escorted out of the province.

PTI stalwart and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser had also reportedly been denied air travel to the region, and another lawmaker, Junaid Akbar, was similarly expelled. Raja alleged that police were aware of their travel plans and acted on unspecified orders. Shaukat Basra commented that the government appears scared of PTI's campaign due to local support, accusing them of not providing a level playing field. Basra also noted that local Insaf Student Federation (ISF) members who came to receive the expelled leaders were arrested.

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Such measures cannot suppress the voice of the people or their democratic aspirations. The nation has already made its decision: it stands with Imran Khan and the cause of freedom.

PTI Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram condemned the incident, drawing parallels to the February 8, 2024 general elections. He claimed that police are using lists to identify and stop PTI-affiliated individuals from entering Gilgit-Baltistan, calling the alleged actions a clear violation of the Constitution.

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When we reached the area of Jal police station in Diamer District, we were stopped by the police. The police officer was already aware that I was going to Gilgit-Baltistan. They told us that they had orders not to allow us to go there. I asked them who had given the orders, but they said, ‘You can understand who has given us the orders.’