“Former prime minister and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday arrived in Gilgit-Baltistan for a brief visit as the party gears up for the upcoming June 7 elections. General elections in the region are scheduled for June 7 , after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. Nawaz reached Gilgit on a one-day visit to meet with party ticket holders contesting the polls. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Rana Sanaullah, Punjab Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, senators Pervaiz Rasheed and Anusha Rahman, and MPA Kazim Ali Pirzada are accompanying Nawaz, state-run PTV said. Minister for Kashmir Affairs and GB Amir Muqam, Nawaz’s son-in-law retired captain Mohammad Safdar, PML-N’s former GB chief minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman and other party members welcomed the PML-N supremo upon his arrival. In a post on X earlier in the day, the PML-N said the Election Commission of GB had issued a no-objection certificate allowing Nawaz to visit GB and “lead his party’s political campaign for the upcoming general elections”. Elected as an MNA in the February 2024 general elections, Nawaz makes rare public appearances. However, he serves as the PML-N’s key decision-maker and as a political mentor to his daughter, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Earlier in April, Nawaz had vowed that, if elected in GB, the party would focus on development in the region. Saad Rafique calls for ‘comprehensive plan’ for GB’s constitutional status Earlier on Tuesday, senior PML-N leader and former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique addressed a gathering in Skardu, where he emphasised the need to address the issue of GB’s constitutional rights through a “comprehensive plan”. “Till how long will the issue (GB’s constitutional status) remain undecided?” Rafique asked, stressing that while “Kashmir was an important issue, but so was the future of the people of GB”. “The time has come for the parliament to debate the matter,” he said, adding that it was the collective responsibility of all parties, state institutions and security institutions to take GB forward. The PML-N leader further called for an equitable share for GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. He also said that Nawaz would announce the party’s “charter” during his GB visit. Noting the lack of development in the region, Rafique acknowledged that “no government will be able to solve everything in five years”. However, he emphasised, a direction for the future could be determined. “PML-N laid down that foundation in their last tenure,” he added. Recalling that the region had seen tenures of three different parties, he called on the people to “vote for whoever did the most work”. “Seven to eight flights operate from here every day; this can be quadrupled, dams can be made,” Rafique said, outlining potential for “small viable projects to tackle GB’s electricity issues” as well as improved internet and road connectivity in the region. More to follow
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