Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has alleged that its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president and MNA Junaid Akbar, along with several party leaders, was detained and later expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan during campaigning for the region’s June 7 elections.
According to PTI, Akbar was stopped while returning from Ghizer district with MNAs Saleemur Rehman, Amjad Ali Khan, Syed Mehboob Shah, MPA Naeem and Dr Nawaz. The party claimed the leaders were taken into custody at a checkpoint and later moved to Gilgit, calling the move “political revenge” and “pre-poll rigging.”
GB police officials, however, said Akbar and six other PTI leaders were detained from the Hanzel area and expelled from the region. GB Home Minister Sajid Ali Baig said the PTI leaders had violated the election code of conduct by addressing gatherings without obtaining a no-objection certificate, or NOC.
Akbar rejected the restriction in a post on X, questioning why a Pakistani citizen would need an NOC to travel within Gilgit-Baltistan. PTI also shared footage it said showed the leaders sitting inside a vehicle as police stood nearby.
The incident has added fresh heat to an already tense election campaign in GB, where parties are trying to mobilise voters ahead of polling day. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar and former opposition leader Omar Ayub condemned the action, saying it raised serious questions about the fairness of the election process.
With the June 7 vote approaching, the dispute is likely to sharpen PTI’s complaints that it is being denied a level playing field. Authorities, meanwhile, insist action will be taken against anyone violating election rules, regardless of party affiliation.
