ASTORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is holding a protest sit-in outside the Returning Officer’s (RO) office for not announcing the official result of the by-election in Astore.
PTI candidate Justice (retired) Khurshid Khan won the by-election in Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly seat GBLA-13 Astore-1. The official result has not been issued despite the clear victory of the PTI candidate.
PTI workers protested over the delay outside his office and said the returning officer was not announcing the result, calling the delay unfair. They warned that if the result are not announced, they will be forced to make further plans.
PTI GB President Khalid Khurshid Khan has sent a message to party workers and leaders from all districts of Gilgit-Baltistan to reach Astore immediately.
He announced to continue the sit-in outside the Returning Officer’s office until the results are announced. Despite the clear victory of PTI by 1267 votes, it is a conspiracy to withhold the result till now, he said.
Khalid Khurshid said the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan and District Returning Officer (DRO) and Returning Officer (RO) should announce the result immediately. Thousands of workers started protest demonstrations outside the office of the Returning Officer in Astore.
استور حلقہ 1 ضمنی انتخاب میں سرکاری نتائج کے فوری اعلان کے حوالے سے صوبائی صدر پی ٹی آئی گلگت بلتستان سابق وزیراعلی خالد خورشید کا اہم اعلان!#استور_کپتان_کا pic.twitter.com/3FgBPZ3ufc
— Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan (@AbdulKhalidPTI) September 10, 2023
ضمنی انتخاب حلقہ ا استور ضمنی انتخاب کے سرکاری نتائج کے اجراء میں تاخیر کے خلاف ریٹرننگ آفیسر کے دفتر کے باہر احتجاجی دھرنا جاری
#استور_کپتان_کا pic.twitter.com/WCH2mj0HNc— Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan (@AbdulKhalidPTI) September 10, 2023
PTI candidate Khurshid Khan won the by-election in Astore. He is the father of former GB chief minister Khalid Khurshid Khan who was disqualified from the seat.
According to unofficial results, PTI’s Khurshid Khan secured 6,219 votes, PML-N’s Rana Farman Ali received 5,225 votes and PPP’s Abdul Hameed Khan bagged 4,079 votes in the by-polls.
There were at least 14 candidates, including nine independent candidates contesting by-election. The seat fell vacant after Gilgit-Baltistan’s former chief minister Khalid Khurshid was disqualified in a fake degree case.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has de-notified Khalid Khurshid as Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan and declared the seat vacant. Khalid Khurshid has been in office since December 2020 and is a close aide of PTI chairman Imran Khan.
