With politicians under attack and threats looming large, most politicians from Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) have refrained from attending ongoing election campaigns of their respective parties.
In the past, several delegations from Gilgit, Skardu and other valleys of G-B used to participate in rallies, standing alongside their leaders and supporting their cause. However, recent threats have put the brakes on the trend.
“I don’t think our presence in the cities will make any difference to our leadership,” said G-B Assembly Speaker Wazir Baig, who is also a local leader of Pakistan Peoples Party. “There are threats from extremists so it’s better if we stay here,” he told journalists at the Gilgit Press Club on Friday.
Although Chief Minister Mehdi Shah is in Islamabad, the rest of the lawmakers including Governor Pir Karam have stayed back in G-B.
In the 33-member G-B Assembly, 18 are members of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party while the rest are affiliated with other mainstream parties.
Even with Punjab as a comparatively safer province for campaigns, lack of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters from G-B is evident. PML-N’s regional chief Hafizur Rehman is still in his home, unsure when he will make it to Lahore. “We are planning to go, but haven’t decided yet,” said Rehman.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2013.
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