Budget 2012: Gilgit-Baltistan presents Rs15.4 billion budget

Journalists boycott session after government fails to meet their demands.

ISLAMABAD/GILGIT:

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan presented a Rs15.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2012, even as journalists in the region boycotted the election proceedings for what they felt were promises broken by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Chief Minister Mehdi Shah.

The budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 is approximately 40.4% higher than the actual spending for the outgoing year of about Rs11 billion. However, it is only 18% higher than the announced Gilgit-Baltistan budget of Rs13 billion for fiscal year 2011. Like the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan’s government lacks the capacity to spend all of the money that is allocated to it by the federal government.

Gilgit-Baltistan Finance Minister Muhammad Ali Akhtar presented the budget to the region’s Legislative Assembly.

About 47% of the budget, or Rs7.3 billion, has been allocated for development spending, a substantial increase over the Rs3.34 billion spent on development last year. However, last year, the regional government was only able to spend about 60% of the total budget allocated for development, which accounted for most of the unspent money in 2011’s budget.

Taking its cue from the federal government, Gilgit-Baltistan will be raising salaries for its employees by 15% and pensions by 20%. Total spending on Legislative Assembly, the cabinet, the chief minister and the governor’s offices is expected to come to Rs200 million.

Gilgit-Baltistan has allocated Rs1 billion for health, Rs1.75 billion for education, Rs1.5 billion for law enforcement and security and Rs2 billion for nine major hydroelectric power projects in the region. The budget also allocated Rs20 million for the promotion of tourism to the region -- a vital source of revenue for Gilgit-Baltistan’s economy. Gilgit-Baltistan is also the only government in Pakistan that makes its entire development budget available in a Microsoft Excel file, available for download on its website. The existence of this format is highly convenient for civil society and journalists to analyse the government’s spending patterns. Economists and public policy experts, including some at international organisations, have been asking the federal and provincial governments to adopt a similar approach.

Budget boycott

Meanwhile, reporters in Gilgit-Baltistan boycotted the proceedings of the legislative assembly during the budget session in protests against what they feel are broken promises by the prime minister and the chief minister.

Opposition lawmakers including PML-Q members Bashir Ahmed and Amina Ansari, PML-N member Janbaz Khan, MQM member Raja Azam, Balawaristan National Front member Nawaz Naji and independent member Didar Ali also joined the protesting journalists.

“Our demands include a media colony for journalists, the establishment of a press foundation and approval for a welfare fund for media personnel,” said Gilgit Press Club President Khurshid Ahmed.

Ahmed accused Chief Minister Shah of creating hindrances in the establishment of the media colony, which had been approved by the prime minister before the elections in 2009. He also claimed that the government was not interested in establishing a press foundation and a press information centre, and had not cooperated in the creating a welfare fund for journalists in Gilgit.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2011.