Federal government has decided in principle to grant the autonomous status to Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan) in line with the other federating units having Chief Minister and Governor. The decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting of the Committee on Northern Areas Governance Order held with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the chair at the PM’s House here Thursday.

Sources said that a comprehensive briefing was given to the Prime Minister on the new constitutional package to be given to Northern Areas and the Prime Minister gave approval to the package.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and KANA, Qamar Zaman Kaira; Federal Minister for Labour and Manpower, Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Zaheer-ud-Din Babar Awan; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nawazada Malik Amad Khan; Minister of State for Law and Justice, Mohammad Afzal Sandhu; Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar and Secretaries Interior and KANA.

Sources said according to the new package the area would have its own chief minister and governor and all the executive powers would be transferred to the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan whereas the incumbent Chairman Northern Areas would be replaced with the Governor.

Sources said that now KANA division would have no role in administration of the area.

According to the new package, constituencies would be increased from present 24 to at least 40. At present, there are 24 elected members of the Northern Areas Legislative Assembly along with six seats of technocrat and six women seats, who were elected by the 24 direct elected members.

In a landmark decision, the government approved on Saturday a self-governance reforms package for the Northern Areas aimed at giving it full internal autonomy, but without the status of a province, and changed its name to Gilgit-Baltistan.




Supporters of this decision:

The People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N and PML-Q have supported the decision, but most nationalist parties rejected the package as a ‘gimmickry of words’.

They contend that the region was an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir and any change in its administrative status betrayed a tacit shift in the government’s stand on Kashmir.

Amanullah Khan, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said:
the move had robbed the Northern Areas of a special status, virtually converting it into the country’s fifth province.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani briefed newsmen after obtaining approval from the cabinet for the ‘Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009’, which will replace the Northern Areas Legal Framework Order of 1994.



Under the order:
Powers of Asssembly and Council:
Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly will formulate its own Rules of Procedures, while legislation on 61 subjects will be done by a council and an assembly in their respective jurisdictions.

In order to empower the Council and the Assembly on financial matters, there shall be a Council Consolidated Fund under Article 54 of the Constitution, and Gilgit-Baltistan Consolidated Fund under Article 55.

A detailed item-wise budget shall be presented before the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and shall accordingly be voted upon under Article 56.

In reply to a question, Mr Gilani said the Council did not need the parliament’s shelter as it will have its own Rules of Business, while a boundary commission has also been set up.

Elections for a new assembly and a chief minister will be held in mid-November.

Qamar Zaman Kaira, the federal minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas, will act as governor till a new system is put in place. He said the order would now be sent to President Asif Ali Zardari for final consent before its implementation.


Supreme Appellate Court:
Qamar Zaman Kaira said a ‘supreme appellate court’ shall be headed by a chief judge who will be appointed by the Chairman of the Council on the advice of the governor.

Other judges shall be appointed by the chairman on the advice of the governor after seeking views of the Chief Judge, Mr Kaira added.

The number of judges has been increased from three to five and the tenure of the present judges of the Supreme Judiciary has been protected in the draft.

The new set-up will have:
*a public service commission,

*a chief election commissioner and

*an auditor general.


CONDEMNATION:
Amanullah Khan, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said Islamabad had lost support of the Security Council over the years due to a ‘wavering stand’ on Kashmir and now it was squandering whatever goodwill it had by merging Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan.

Sabir Ansari, Raja Latif Tahir, Nazir Ahmed, Mushtaq Ghazali and Ghulam Ahmed Butt, all office-bearers of the Front, said that Jammu and Kashmir, including Gilgit-Baltistan, was an indivisible unit and Islamabad had no right to slice off any part of it.

They said every government had usurped fundamental rights of these areas and the present one had outdone its predecessors by turning the region into a fifth province.

They expressed fears that ‘real powers’ would rest with the governor, the president’s nominee who will not be answerable to Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly. Local people will have no constitutional protection, the JKLF statement said.

Nationalist parties in Hunza-Nagar rejected the Self Governance Order, describing it as old wine in a new bottle.

Hafizur Rehman, a member of the Northern Area Legislative Assembly, termed the package a gimmickry of words and said once again the centre was trying to hoodwink the people of the Northern Areas.



what is your view on such opinions?
well i think the step taken is a constructive one only if iplimented in its true letter and spirit..

Few pix of Gilgit-Baltistan:

Satpara Skardu:




Shangrilla Baltistan:

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Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.

Gilgit Baltistan: Provincial like set up rejected:
Manzoor Hussain Parwana, Chairman Gilgit Baltistan United Movement reacting over the "Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009"was of the view that such a step taken by the governemt is a malafide step as the very purpose of them isto conceal the political atrocities and brutal colonial control on the people in the occupied region.

He mentioned that the government of Pakistan’s empowerment package granted to the people of Gilgit Baltistan is illegal as he was of the view that in no way Gilgit Baltistan does not fall under the constitution of Pakistan. The people of Gilgit Baltistan rejected the cosmetic package to the region because it is not alternative of “our Independence”.

Parwana said that the tactics of government of Pakistan are meant to buy time and secrete violations of human and political rights. He further mentioned that their demand was for an “Independent Constitutional Assembly” until the resolution of Kashmir dispute but we were cheated once again on the name of “self autonomy”.


He further demanded that under the newly announced empowerment order, the existing Northern Areas Legislative Assembly (NALA) will be given the status of provincial like set up with powers to make its own annual budget and development plan, which earlier was in the Musharaf’s package. The post of Chairman, who is an official appointed by Islamabad and who calls the ruler of the region, has been renamed the Governor of the province. The post of the chief executive has been upgraded to chief minister. The existing NALA’s advisors renamed ministers.

He said the government did not take the stakeholder on board to formulate the packages and imposed an unconstitutional act while the people are expecting and demanding Azad Kashmir Like set up, to run the region in the light of UNCIP resolutions as:
*an independent state,
*having it own constitutional assembly,
*president,
*prime minister,
*judiciary and
*national identity .

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Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.

In my thinking step taken by government in name of empowering northern areas will likely to further worsen the ongoing bad situation of the country.

Firstly, the N.A is not part of Pakistan as per Constitution of 1973. The N.A. remained operational as Gilgit Agency and only in 1994, its people were given some electoral rights through a legal framework order by constitution of a legisliative council. The current order is giving some more rights and giving N.A. status of a province.

Its linkage with Kashmir issue gives it a distinct status, though the valleys of Northern Area were not part of Jammu Kashmir in ancient times yet dogra rulers annexed these valleys forming a united Jammu & Kashmir. Therefore, as a matter of fact, the Kashmiris think N.A. an integral part of Kashmir and as such its a part & parcel of unfinished agenda of partition. Current order will certainly ignite agitation in both Pakistan and Indian sides of Kashmir, they will tend to consider it a back door deal between Pakistan and India to settle the issue of Kashmir because India is already considering Indian held parts as a state and more often includes AJ&K and Northern Area a part of its State of Jammu & Kashmir. Moreorless a stab in the back of kashmiris.

Seondly India has been encroaching in Northern Areas since a considerable time particularly in Baltistan through its agents to destablise Pakistan. She will definitely intensify her encroachments and will be happy to get another chase to raise Pakistani people against Pakistan.

Thirdly, the need of the day is giving ample projects and plans (including consitutional benefits) to the people of Balochistan, but government instead of doing any good in balochistan is planning to create more issues in other areas.

Fourthly, the government is thinking to make it a feather in their cap, but in fact people need flour, sugar and electricity and all other basic needs. The actions of current government are worsening not only economical conditions of the people but also law and order situations. They are distributing peanuts amongst themselves and like minded peoples.

A blame game is already going on by the ex-inteligence people and politicians, which is deteriorating the body fabric of the country, and this will prove to be another issue for worsening the situations.

No doubt Northern Areas require certain pilot projects for amelioration of people of Northern Areas because they are also our brethren but it should not be in such form. We all are Pakistanis either living in Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan or in Northern Areas or in Kashmir and every area needs due consideration, but these decisions and paper announcements will only worsen the situation of country instead of giving any benefit to it.

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'Thee woh ik shakhs kay tasawar saay - abb woh ranayee khayal kahaan'

Does any one know what implication this can have on the combined quota of FATA and FANA
Will FANA be finally separated from FATA quota in job vacancies or has no thought been given to it in making it autonomous.
Is there any provision that any one knows of....i dont think there is one yet, but do keep updated.

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some news and snaps from the recent past:

__________________
Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.