Pakistani tribal voters stand in a queue as they wait for their turn to cast their votes outside a polling station in restive Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan. PHOTO: AFP
Even though they did not cast their ballots, residents of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) remained glued to their television screens watching the rest of Pakistan vote amid fever pitch and continuous updates on social media.
“That’s not fair. The election commission should take immediate note of poll rigging in parts of Karachi,” complained Mohammad Din while referring to media reports of a certain party’s activists trying to sabotage the polling process in some areas.
Huge crowds were gathered outside offices of political parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Gilgit. Elsewhere, tea stalls were abuzz with political discussion and speculations on the turnout. “I am sure change will come,” said a PTI supporter.
Reports from other parts of G-B indicated a similar atmosphere in Skardu, Hunza, Ghizer and Astore, with residents eagerly awaiting the outcome. Traffic, however, remained thin as most people preferred to stay indoors and stay up-to-date with the news.
Though G-B is not represented in the National Assembly and Senate, the regional government is represented by mainstream parties. Currently, the PPP governs G-B while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement are coalition partners.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2013.
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Most youth of GB in Rawalpindi and Islamabad did participate actively in the campaigns of various political parties and were seen even polling agents as well. Even did cast their votes who were registered down country. But none of them for a person to represent GB in the National Assembly, certainly they cant! Election 2013 surely moved the youth of GB and is forcing most to rethink about the legal status of GB where over a million people do not have the right of vote to elect their members of National Assembly of Pakistan.
Nationalism in Pakistan............... Gilgit Baltistan people should learn a lesson from the election of 2013............. Punjabis voted for Punjabi, Sindhis voted for Sindhi, Pathans voted for Pathan, Baloch voted for none and none voted for Pakistan!!