GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan authorities expelled PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Junaid Akbar and six other party leaders from the region on Friday, accusing them of violating the election code of conduct during campaigning ahead of the June 7 Legislative Assembly polls.
Police officials said Akbar and his associates were taken into custody from the Hanzel area before being removed from GB. Those detained included Mehboob Shah, Salimur Rehman, Dr Amjad Ali Khan, Muhammad Naeem Khan, Ziauddin and Arshad Meer.
GB Home Minister Sajid Ali Baig said the PTI leaders had addressed a rally in Jaglot and held a public gathering in Gilgit without obtaining a no-objection certificate. He warned that action would be taken “indiscriminately” against anyone breaching the election code.
PTI, however, rejected the move as political victimisation. The party described the detention and expulsion as “pre-poll rigging” and an attack on democratic campaigning, demanding a level playing field for all parties in the upcoming vote.
The incident has added fresh tension to an already charged election season in Gilgit-Baltistan, where parties are pushing hard to mobilise voters before polling day on June 7. PTI leaders say restrictions on their campaign will damage the credibility of the electoral process, while the regional government insists the law will apply equally to all contestants.
