Four independent candidates who won Gilgit Baltistan elections join PTI

Four independent candidates who emerged victorious in the recently-held Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) elections joined the PTI on Thursday.

The candidates officially joined the PTI at the Governor House in Gilgit on Thursday.

Read more: Gilgit Baltistan chief election commissioner hits out at Bilawal, says polls were transparent

Wazeer Saleem who won the elections from GBA-9, Skardu-3 and Raja Nasir who emerged victorious in GBA-10, Skardu-4 joined the party. The two other candidates who joined the PTI include Mushtaq Hussain from GBA-22, Ghanche-1 and Abdul Hameed from GBA-23, Ghanche-2. 

Earlier in the day, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz lashed out at PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying that the recently-held elections in the region were transparent.

Shahbaz, addressing a press conference, said: "[PPP chairman] Bilawal had been ranting about rigging the past one month [...] What is rigging? is it a feather? a tail? What is it?"

The CEC said some parties were tarnishing the elections' results, advising all candidates and stakeholders with grievances, who were busy speaking to the media, should approach the election tribunal instead.

He urged political leaders to refrain from making "baseless allegations" adding that such claims were not in the interest of the region and the people.

His statement comes in the wake of criticism levelled by Opposition parties who have rejected the November 15 elections, using words from "rigged" to "stolen" to describe them .