PTI Leader Junaid Akbar Detained in Hunza, Expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan
Hunza: Gilgit-Baltistan Police detained Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar Khan along with several party leaders in Hunza and later expelled them from the region, prompting strong condemnation from the party leadership, which termed the move “pre-poll rigging.”
According to reports, Junaid Akbar was visiting various areas of Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday as part of the party’s election campaign when he was taken into custody in Hunza. Members of the National Assembly Saleem Rehman, Syed Mehboob Shah, Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, and MPA Naeem Khan were also detained alongside him.
Speaking at the time of his detention, Junaid Akbar said authorities informed him that he did not possess the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) and therefore had to leave Gilgit-Baltistan. He questioned the move by asking whether Gilgit-Baltistan was not part of Pakistan.
Later, PTI leaders including Junaid Akbar, MNAs Saleem Rehman, Syed Mehboob Shah, Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, MPA Naeem Khan, and Vice President Nawaz Khan were formally expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan.
Following the incident, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar strongly condemned the arrests, saying that detaining opposition leaders during an election campaign was unacceptable.
صوبائی صدر پی ٹی آئی خیبرپختونخوا جنید اکبر خان کوگلگت بلتستان پولیس نے اراکینِ قومی اسمبلی سلیم الرحمٰن، سید محبوب شاہ ڈاکٹر امجد علی خان اور ایم پی اے نعیم خان کے ہمراہ گرفتار کر لیا۔
کیا سیاسی عمل کو دبانے اور انتخابی مہم سے روکنے سے یہ لوگ عمران خان کو عوام کے دلوں سے نکال… pic.twitter.com/bNVXwiWD7W— Junaid Akbar (@JunaidAkbarMNA) May 29, 2026
He stated that preventing political parties from campaigning amounted to pre-poll rigging and stressed that the Election Commission should ensure equal opportunities for all political parties to conduct election activities.
Barrister Gohar further said that citizens and political leaders should have the freedom to move across the country, adding that denying political space in Gilgit-Baltistan would be harmful for democracy.
گلگت بلتستان میں عاصم لأ کے تحت جاری پری پول دھاندلی کی ایک اور مثال
صوبائی صدر پی ٹی آئی خیبرپختونخوا جنید اکبر خان ، اراکینِ قومی اسمبلی سلیم الرحمٰن، سید محبوب شاہ ڈاکٹر امجد علی خان اور ایم پی اے نعیم خان کو “صوبہ بدر” کر دیا گیا۔
جبکہ باقی تمام جماعتوں کے رہنما کھلم کھلا… pic.twitter.com/5hu6VsxTHI
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 29, 2026
Reacting to the development, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said that if the detained parliamentarians were not released, he would personally travel to Gilgit-Baltistan.
He alleged that efforts were being made to establish a “fake government” in Gilgit-Baltistan and warned that such actions would deepen political division and hatred in the country.
The chief minister also claimed that democratic norms were being undermined to sideline PTI and criticized the Gilgit-Baltistan administration for what he described as politically motivated actions.
He added that Gilgit-Baltistan would not be allowed to become a “no-go area” and said the people of the region would respond through the power of their vote.
