'Imran Khan's PTI trying to ignite tensions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir'

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's political party is trying to ignite tensions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to postpone elections in the region, said a senior minister of the occupied region.

Speaking at an event here, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq: "Earlier Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tried in vain to get the polls postponed in the name of Covid-19 pandemic and now they want to achieve this target by provoking emotions and creating law and order situation across the state."

Pakistan authorities have recommended the postponing of the PoK elections. However, the opposition has opposed it, saying the elections could not be delayed.

Pakistan's coronavirus monitoring body, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday suggested postponing the upcoming PoK elections by two months.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of PoK, the NCOC stated that due to the rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, the polls should be delayed, citing a possible spread of the virus due to large political gatherings.

PoK "Prime Minister" Raja Farooq Haider had accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of wanting to achieve its desired results in the PoK elections.

He further remarked that no matter what the Prime Minister does, PoK will never become a province.

"Elections in PoK can only be postponed if there is external aggression," PM Farooq Haider said.

He added that there is no reason to postpone the polls as by-elections were also held in the country despite the pandemic.

Last year, the Imran Khan government had announced granting provisional province status to the region, which was not received well by most of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan who had protested against Islamabad's decision of integrating the illegally occupied region with the rest of Pakistan.

(ANI)

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