Women were not allowed to vote in Gilgit Baltistan under a conspiracy, says Bilawal Bhutto

SKARDU: Women were not allowed to exercise their right to vote in the Gilgit Baltistan 2020 elections, says PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

He was speaking to journalists in GB on Thursday.

“From election day to today, PPP workers are exercising their democratic right and protesting this selected and incompetent prime minister [Imran Khan] in this harsh weather,” Bilawal said.

They are getting recounts done by putting the election commissioner to shame, he said.

Read more: PPP's Sherry Rehman deeply concerned over 'deliberate restrictions on women's voting'

Praising the pressure tactics used by the PPP, Bilawal said that the same election commissioner, who was earlier saying that there was no rigging in the GB-21's stolen polling box, is now left with no option but to get the votes in that polling station recounted.

Women from Tangir were not allowed to take part in the election, he said and assured that the PPP will protect the women’s vote.

He said 7,000 women voters were registered and it is the election commissioner’s responsibility to make sure they get an opportunity to exercise their right to vote.

“We are still waiting, but no consolidated results are coming in," he maintained.

Bilawal said that another shocking development, the timing of which he would have to check, was a picture shared by a Pakistan-based journalist on Twitter a day earlier. The picture shows the election commissioner sitting with the governor and the Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ameen Ali Gandpur, who is a member of the PTI.

Read more: Bilawal vows to continue protest against 'rigged' Gilgit Baltistan elections

"We have always said this is not an election commission, but PTI’s election wing," said Bilawal.

Asking the election commissioner to issue a clarification regarding the picture, Bilal questioned: “How can you sit with ministers of the government when you are the election commissioner?” 

“You have sold the public of Gilgit Baltistan. You have sold this land. You cannot handle this post. You are so shamelessly saying on national television that the elections were clean,” Bilawal lambasted.

He referred to the Free and Fair Election Network’s report, which said that at least three mishaps took place in every polling station.

Two days ago, the PPP leader said he had cancelled his return flight from Gilgit because he "cannot leave [his] people like this". 

"We will not accept any lollipop, will never compromise on the rights of the people," he added.

Sherry Rehman deeply concerned over 'deliberate restrictions on women's voting'

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, too, had said on Sunday she is "deeply concerned" over the "deliberate restrictions on women's voting" in the Gilgit Baltistan Election 2020, and voiced worry over alleged rigging at the polling stations.

Rehman said any attempts to deprive women of their right to vote in the Gilgit Baltistan Election 2020 are "unacceptable" and called for GB Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shehbaz Khan to immediately intervene and resolve the issue.

Read more: Bilawal says PPP received highest no of votes in Gilgit Baltistan elections

The PPP leader alleged that the observers of FAFEN, a non-profit NGO, had been removed from polling stations.

"FAFEN observers should be at the polling stations during the counting of votes" and "should be permitted to remain at the polling stations", she said, adding that there were 600 observers.