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Pakistan’s prime minister claims polls have proven Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will emerge victorious in Gilgit-Baltistan elections
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed his party’s spokespersons to aggressively counter the opposition’s anti-government narrative, maintaining that this should be a priority.
Chairing a meeting of government spokespersons in Islamabad, the prime minister reiterated his claims of the opposition voicing an “anti-state” narrative. He said the government should avail every available forum to counter and negate this narrative.
According to sources familiar with matters discussed during the meeting, Khan claimed the public had recognized that the opposition was merely trying to protect its own interests—an assertion that has been repeatedly denied by opposition lawmakers—and said it was unfortunate that they were acting against the national interest.
The prime minister reportedly also claimed that the country’s economic situation was improving. He said this development was “worrying” the opposition, adding that prices of sugar and wheat would “visibly” come down within days.
Referring to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, who was recently indicted in a money-laundering cases, the prime minister said the former chief minister of Punjab province would now have to prove his innocence in court. He also reiterated an earlier claim that courts should conduct daily hearings of corruption cases so they could be resolved at their earliest.
Gilgit-Baltistan
Sources said that the prime minister had expressed satisfaction with the ruling party’s election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan and repeated his belief that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would “sweep” the polls.
Referring to polling by Gallup Pakistan and Pulse Consultant—reported a day earlier—Khan said they proved the public had rejected the PPP and PMLN’s narrative.
According to local reporting on the polls, the prime minister is the most popular leader in Gilgit-Baltistan, followed by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Nawaz Sharif in third. However, the same polls have found that only around 30 percent of voters believe the elections will be transparent and free of rigging.