Lahore: November 9, 2009. (PCP) Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's observers have arrived in Gilgit to monitor the general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan to be held on 12 November. The HRCP team is led by the organisation's Co-chairperson Mr Iqbal Haider and consists of rights' activists and members of the organisation's governing body including Mr Hussain Naqi, Mr Kamran Arif, Ms Uzma Noorani, Ms Parveen Soomro, and Mr Najam U Din. HRCP has already organised a consultation with stakeholders and trained local observers for monitoring the electoral process in their respective areas. In its statement, HRCP said the monitoring of elections in Gilgit-Baltistan is of vital importance because elections are the first step towards democratic governance and rule by consensus. HRCP is of the view that in a region that has no prior tradition of electoral process, monitoring of the voting by neutral observers is crucial. During pre-poll monitoring, HRCP received complaints that the ruling party was making attempts aimed at deriving benefits of the incumbency. HRCP demands of the federal government to take steps for ensuring a fair and impartial conduct of the polls by addressing the complaints, especially that the acting Governor, who is a member of the federal cabinet, is throwing his weight around for electoral gains. Besides the obvious benefits of fair elections for the region, HRCP is of the view that lack of impartiality will have a lasting impact on the working relationship among major political parties in Pakistan as all of them have fielded their candidates in Gilgit-Baltistan.