PT report

Gilgit, July 4: Chief Executive of the Northern Areas Legislative Assembly (NALA), Ghazanfar Ali Khan, has warned Islamabad that nationlist parties of Gilgit – Baltistan will defeat “pro-Pakistan” (federalist) parties in the coming election.

Daily Times’ Iqbal Khattak has reported Ghazanfar as saying that the nationalist parties are exploiting “policies of Islamabad towards Northern Areas” and “funded by foreign elements… gaining strength in the region”. The report says that Ghazanfar termed Abdul Hameed Khan of BNF (Hameed) as “the Altaf Hussain of Northern Areas”.

“We can fight these forces if Islamabad gives constitutional powers in our hands,” Ghazanfar reportedly said.

The nationalists and their symapathizers are terming these fresh comments of Ghazanfar as an effort to involve “invisible hands” in the forthcoming elections. “This is almost tantamount to pre-election rigging”, said a member of  Karakuram Students Organization (KSO).  A sympathizer of BNF rebuked the statement of Ghazanfar saying “If Hameed is the Altaf Hussain of Northern Areas, Ghazanfar is the Mir Jafer of Gilgit – Baltistan”.

It is for the first time that chief executive of the NALA has pointed out the nationalists in a very harsh tone. It is pertinent to note here that BNF has been working in the region since 1992-93, and during this period it has divided into two sub-groups (Hameed & Naji). Similarly, Karakuram National Movement has been operational since 1980s. Also at Daily Times