PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday urged the Chief Justice of the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) to intervene and ensure transparency, fairness and impartiality in the upcoming GB elections amid what he described as an “alarming” deterioration in the electoral environment.

The chief minister’s appeal came after noticing a series of reported incidents involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders during the ongoing election campaign in the mountainous region.

Earlier on Saturday, PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser claimed he was prevented from reaching Islamabad airport, causing him to miss his flight to Skardu where he was scheduled to participate in election campaign activities.

The incident came at a time when PTI MNA Junaid Akbar and his team were expelled from GB when they were campaigning ahead of the elections scheduled for June 7.

In a letter addressed to the chief justice, CM Afridi said reports emerging from GB regarding the electoral process were “extremely concerning” and warranted immediate judicial attention.

He alleged, as cited in Dawn News, that one political party was facing undue obstacles in carrying out routine electoral activities, including holding public gatherings, conducting campaign events and facilitating the movement of its leadership and workers.

The chief minister said that reports of political workers being harassed, unlawfully detained and prevented from engaging in political activities were “deeply troubling”.