Towards victory: Swelling ranks tilt odds in PML-N’s favour

Unofficial results indicate the ruling party in the Centre will also hold fort in G-B


Shabbir Mir June 11, 2015
Gilgit Baltistan Assembly

GILGIT:


An independent candidate, Fida Khan, joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday after winning from GBLA Ghizer-II, raising the number of PML-N seats to 15 in the 24 seat Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assembly.


Khan, a veteran of the Pakistan Peoples Party, announced his decision at a ceremony held at the residence of PML-N regional president Hafizur Rahman. Khan won the election as an independent candidate after PPP declined to give him a party ticket.

Akbar Taban and Janbaz Khan have also been unofficially declared winners from Skardu and Diamer, respectively.

A one-vote margin

Following a recount, Taban was declared the victor – by one vote.

“The recounting was held in Skardu in the presence of Brigadier Ehsan Mehmood,” an insider privy to the development told The Express Tribune on Thursday.

Ballots were counted again after Taban submitted an application to Returning Officer Luqman Hakeem on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference the same day, Taban refused to accept the results, according to which his opponent, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Raja Jalal, had emerged victorious by just one vote. He accused the administration of being biased against him.

The recount started at 4pm and continued till 2am, as ballot boxes from 28 polling stations were opened and votes were recounted.

As the count was under way, roads leading to the RO’s office were blocked and the area was declared a “red zone”. The army and other security forces set up a strict cordon around it, barring people from entry.

At 2:30am, the unofficial result turned the tables on PTI leader whose one-vote win turned into one-vote defeat. Taban’s supporters celebrated the occasion. However Jalal announced he would approach the court for justice.

Haider Khan of PML-N in Diamer might also be a new addition to the PML-N scoreboard. Unofficially he was said to be leading when polling was stopped due to a tussle between two parties on June 8, the day of elections. If he wins, the PML-N will have 16 candidate-elects.

Pat on the back

“Peaceful and transparent elections in G-B have improved the image of the region,” said the PML-N regional president at his residence on Thursday.

At Khan’s joining ceremony, Rahman said the role of the armed forces, chief election commissioner and the caretaker government was essential in ensuring free and fair polls in the region. This has set a precedent for the rest of the country to follow, added Rahman.

“Let’s move on. The elections are over. We accept the mandate of other parties and congratulate them.” Rahman asked other parties to join hands for the welfare of people and development of the region. “How strange is it that the entire region doesn’t have a cardiac hospital or an MRI facility. Let’s work on these lines to alleviate the suffering of the public.”

He said various parties formed alliances to defeat the PML-N but the people’s mandate foiled all such conspiracies. Rahman said PML-N’s opponents tried everything from money to the sectarian card to defeat his party but they ended up losing.

“If we don’t learn a lesson from our past, we are likely to face a fate similar to Mehdi Shah and his party in the next elections,” said Rahman, who in all likelihood could be the chief minister of G-B.


District          PML-N wins

Gilgit             3

Hunza-Nagar 1

Diamer          2

Ghanche        3

Astore            2

Skardu           3

Ghizer   1


Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2015. 

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