Gilgit-Baltistan election, who won, who lost!
When the 80-year-old disabled old man was asked why he had come to vote so far in the cold morning, he did not care about the government’s stance or the PDM’s statement. He said he hoped the winning candidate would solve the problems of this backward area.
With the onset of cold weather this year, the election season in the charming valley of Gilgit has also taken its toll. All the major parties of Pakistan participated in the elections in 23 out of 33 seats with full enthusiasm.
Now that the results of these elections have come out, each party is interpreting it in its own way. Before the election, all the parties, be it the PTI in the government or the opposition parties of the PDM, all thought that the GB elections would decide who the people of Pakistan are with.
Now that the results have come out, it is clear that the winning party has maintained its earlier position that the results reflect the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and has rejected the PDM’s statement. Opposition parties have stated they will not run in the by-elections. Allegations of vote counting and pre-poll rigging also surfaced.
Both of these conclusions drawn from the GB results are far from the truth. The government’s claim that the PTI’s victory in these elections reflects the sentiments of the people of Pakistan is not true. Because this was the third GB election and every time the same party has won here which is in the federation. In 2009 PPP and N-League won.
If the government wants to draw any conclusions from these elections, it should be that despite being in the federation and promising the people of GB to form a new province, the PTI has not been able to get a simple majority here. In 2009, the PPP won 14 out of 24 seats and in 2015, the PML-N won 16 out of 24 seats. Winning only 10 of the 24 seats and seven of the independent candidates should be a moment of reflection for the PTI.
Therefore, whatever the politicians may think, but this victory belongs to democracy. The victory went to Shaban Ali, a 98-year-old voter who went to the polls regardless of his age or the harsh weather. This victory belongs to Sadia Danish, a female candidate from Tangier district of Gilgit, in whose constituency even today women are not allowed to vote. Participating in the election campaign with such enthusiasm shows the confidence of the people here in the democratic system. Hopefully, the politicians who have been elected by the people using this right will not be disappointed.