Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) allegations of horse-trading against his party in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections were 'unjustified'.
Expressing his thoughts, the PML-N stalwart said: "The PML-N having approached President Asif Ali Zardari and the PPP leadership within 72 hours of the election to indicate support for government formation."
The former federal minister said in a statement posted on social media that, according to unofficial and unconfirmed results, the PPP secured around 28 per cent of the vote, while the PML-N received 22 per cent. He said the PML-N had accepted the PPP as the single largest party after the election and had offered cooperation in the formation of a government.
Rafique said the unofficial results showed that the PPP won 10 seats, while the PML-N secured six seats. He added that two independent candidates were also backed by the PML-N.
He claimed that the PML-N's top leadership contacted President Asif Ali Zardari and the PPP leadership within 72 hours of the election and indicated support for government formation in order to protect Gilgit-Baltistan from horse-trading and political bargaining.
He said that responsibility for the partial polls due to be held in certain constituencies on June 15 rested with local complainants and the Election Commission, adding that the result in one PML-N constituency had also been challenged.
The former federal minister said that respect for the PPP leadership remained intact, but respect could not be a one-way arrangement.
