Several PTI leaders, including party president in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MNA Junaid Akbar, were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday while they were campaigning for upcoming elections.

Accounts from the PTI and its leaders also suggested Akbar and his companions were also briefly detained by the authorities before being expelled. However, an official statement by the GB government said that no arrests were made and the leaders had only been expelled over violating of the election code of conduct.

Initially, the PTI said in a post on X that “PTI KP President Junaid Akbar, along with MNAs Saleemur Rehman, Amjab Ali Khan, Syed Mehboob Shah, MPA Naeem and […] Dr Nawaz were arrested by the GB government and administration at a check post when they were returning from the Ghizer district”.

The PTI also shared a video of the alleged arrest on X, in which Akbar and others were seen sitting inside what appeared to be a van. In the background, a man in a police uniform could also be seen.

Akbar, meanwhile, posted on X that PTI workers and supporters had reached Ghizer to hold a rally ahead of June 7 general elections in GB.

In another post, he alleged that he and his companions were first stopped while they were travelling to Ghizer. He said the district administration told them that they lacked a “permit”.

“Isn’t Gilgit-Baltistan a part of Pakistan? Why does a Pakistani need a no-objection certificate (NOC) to travel within their own country?” he questioned.

“Fascist tactics and panic are a clear declaration of their defeat. If they lack the courage to compete in the field, then why stage this election drama? This open violation of constitutional rights and fascism will not be accepted under any circumstances,” he said.

In a subsequent post, he added, “I was told to leave Gilgit as I don’t have an NOC, and now I have been stopped at the checkpost again. Is Gilgit-Baltistan not a part of Pakistan?”

Later, Akbar, as well as the PTI posted on X that the MNA had been “expelled” from GB.

Akbar also accused the federal government of employing tactics to “steal the election”.

“Our party’s symbol has been snatched from us, we’re not allowed to run election campaigns but are instead arrested … We were stopped in Gilgit, arrested, and expelled from the province, while PML-N leaders are provided VIP protocol and full security,” the post stated.

Separately, PTI Information Sheikh Waqas Akram told Dawn that others accompanying Akbar had also been expelled, including Amjab Ali Khan and several leaders from Swat and other areas.

“On the other hand candidates of other parties are using helicopters and government protocol during election campaign,” he alleged.

He complained that the government was not allowing a level-playing field ahead of the election.

The PTI termed the “arrest and expulsion” of Akbar during election campaign “political revenge, pre-poll rigging and an attack on democracy”.

The party demanded a level-playing field for all parties and a fair and transparent election in GB.

Prior to the reports of Akbar’s expulsion, former National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub condemned his “arrest” on X.

“Strongly condemn the arrest of PTI provincial president KPK Junaid Akbar Khan in Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan. This action proves that the Form 47 installed regime wants a bogus ‘selection’ instead of a free and fair election,” he wrote.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi warned in a post on X that if the parliamentarians were not released, “I will personally go there to question the puppet GB government and those working to install a fake government about the mistreatment of our parliamentarians”.

He added that such acts were “harming Pakistan”.

“Such behaviour is increasing hatred, and such steps are creating divisions. Those whose job is to protect the public mandate always rob the Pakistanis of their mandate.

“By not providing a level playing field in the elections and by forcibly, through oppression and coercion, [excluding] Imran Khan sahib’s party, the democratic system is being destroyed,” he claimed.

He also claimed that the GB chief minister was not responding to his calls.

“This attitude is undemocratic and not political. We will not let GB turn into a no-go area,” he said, adding that the “hospitable” people of GB would avenge this dishonour of their guests through their votes.

GB govt’s statement

Later, GB government spokesperson Shabbir Mir maintained in a statement that the “impression that the caretaker GB minister did not attend Afridi’s call was not correct”.

“When the call from KP came, the caretaker chief minister was getting checked by a doctor for back pain. He called back as soon as the examination was done. However, he was told that the KP CM was not available,” Mir claimed.

He also maintained that no political party or candidate was being discriminated against in GB and that level-playing field was being provided to all political parties and independent candidates. “The Election Commission and relevant institutions are fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities for holding transparent, free and impartial elections,” he said.

However, some political leaders who came from KP did not follow the code of conduct and rules and regulations, he claimed. “The authorities expelled them after the election monitoring officer pointed this out. But no arrest was made,” he said.

The spokesperson added that “those who violate the law will be dealt with according to the law”.

Additional reporting by Ikram Junaidi