ISLAMABAD: The PTI expressed outrage on Friday after its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president and other party leaders were allegedly “arrested” and later expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan, as campaigning for the upcoming elections is underway.

“PTI KP President Junaid Akbar, along with MNAs Saleemur Rehman, Amjad 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 party said in a post on X.

It further alleged that the party leaders had been “taken to Gilgit”, and also shared footage of the alleged arrest on X.

However, a statement from the GB government explained that some political leaders arriving from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not comply with the code of conduct and agreed-upon rules and regulations.

Govt defends move, says some political leaders arriving from KP did not comply with code of conduct

According to a spokesperson, the relevant authorities took action based on a report from local election officials and sent the political leaders back. “However, no one was arrested,” the statement said.

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

In subsequent post, he alleged that he and his companions were first stopped en route to Ghizer. He claimed 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.

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.” Later, both Mr Akbar and the PTI posted on X that he had been “expelled” from GB.

While speaking to Dawn, PTI Information Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that others accompanying Mr Akbar had also been expelled, including Amjad 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.

GB govt denies arrest claim

While no official from the GB government was available for comment, a statement released late on Friday night denied the arrest of any PTI leaders.

According to GB spokesperson Shabbir Mir: “No political party or candidate in GB was being discriminated against, and equal opportunities are being provided to all political parties and independent candidates.”

He added the Election Commission and relevant institutions are “fulfilling their constitutional respo­nsibilities to ensure transparent, free, and impartial elections”.

In the statement, Mr Mir explained that some political leaders arriving from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa did not comply with the code of conduct and agreed-upon rules and regulations. According to the spokesperson, following a report by the Election Monitoring Officer for GBLA-2, the relevant authorities took action and sent them back from Gilgit-Baltistan. However, no one was arrested.

The spokesperson clarified that no one can be allowed to act above the law, and those violating the law will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Jamil Nagri in Gilgit and Ikram Junaidi in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2026