G-B should get internal autonomy, say experts

Do not keep G-B in a limbo, suggest speakers

Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) should be provided with internal autonomy, this way its identity would not be kept in a perpetual limbo.

This was one of the recommendations put forward by speakers during the second part of Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)’s National Dialogue Series roundtable on ‘Gilgit-Baltistan Concerns, Reservations and Aspirations: Mainstreaming GB.’

The speakers went on to recommend that power-sharing could be an effective strategy in GB since it relies on a parliamentary system made up of governing coalitions that function through cooperative mechanisms like negotiation and compromise.

The series was moderated by former federal law minister and Research Society of International Law (RSIL) President Ahmer Bilal Soofi. Speaking about ‘Mainstreaming Gilgit-Baltistan: Socio-Cultural Perceptions’ Gilgit-based social scientist and columnist Aziz Ali Dad, highlighted the liminal state of G-B and argued that to remain meaningful and relevant, it is indispensible for any political arrangement to invest power in the people. He said that disconnect between power and the people has generated anger, which can provide a fertile ground for upheavals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2019.