PTI’s Asad Qaiser claims Punjab Police barred him from Islamabad Airport, made him miss Skardu flight

Senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Asad Qaiser on Saturday claimed that he was barred from reaching Islamabad Airport and missed his flight to Skardu for the election campaign in Gilgit Baltistan (G-B).

In a statement on X, Qaiser stated, “Punjab Police did not allow entry into Islamabad Airport, blocked the airport’s access routes, and we, along with the general public, had to face severe difficulties.”

The former speaker of the National Assembly added that police kept him in custody until his flight to Skardu departed.

Qaiser claimed that due to the incident, “it can be gauged that the G-B election is being manipulated at all costs, and the people are being deprived of their right to vote.”

Later, PTI leaders and those from the opposition Tehreek-e-Tahuf-e-Ayien Pakistan (TTAP) including Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri held a press conference, condemning the incident.

Read: PTI names committee for G-B elections

Qaiser told the conference that all political parties were going to Skardu for election campaigning but that Punjab Police had prevented him from departing.

“We should be told under what authority Punjab Police stopped us,” he stated, adding, “Does Punjab Police have the authority to stop a member of the NA in this manner?”

The PTI leader stated, “Stopping us while allowing others to go is discrimination in politics,” recalling the treatment meted out on Friday to PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar Khan who was arrested by G-B Police at Hunza while campaigning for the upcoming elections.

“I appeal to the people of Gilgit that you must cast your vote and also protect your vote,” he said, demanding the chief election commissioner ensure that all political parties were given a level playing field. “If you cannot provide a level playing field to all political parties, then resign from your office,” he added.

Meanwhile, Khokhar stated, “Because of this action by the government, thousands of people remained stranded in the heat” and “many people missed their flights.”

Qadri, on the other hand, stated, “Stopping Asad Qaiser from going to G-B is pre-poll rigging,” claiming that attempts were being made to “break loyalties in G-B.”

Read More: Mountain ballot: why G-B election matters to Pakistan

Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir took to X to voice his displeasure over the incident. “Stopping Asad Qaiser is not only regrettable but a blatant violation of democratic values and political freedoms,” he said.

Nasir added that in G-B, “federal ministers and leaders of other political parties are conducting full-fledged election campaigns, yet leaders of PTI and TTAP are being continuously targeted.”

“Yesterday, Junaid Akbar Khan was stopped in Gilgit, and today Asad Qaiser has been barred from travelling. If leaders of a specific party are deprived of their fundamental democratic right to run election campaigns, then claims of transparent elections and political equality lose all credibility,” the opposition leader said.

Former leader of the opposition Omar Ayub Khan also took to X, saying, “All these actions are being taken against PTI whilst other party members are being given an open field to run their campaigns.”

In April, the G-B Election Commission announced that general elections in the region would be held on June 7, 2026, after a four-month delay. Initially scheduled for January 24, 2026, the elections were postponed indefinitely due to harsh weather conditions in the region.