‘Provincial status to bring prosperity to G-B’

Minister says elevation will herald new era in region

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur said giving a provisional provincial status to G-B would begin a new era of development and prosperity in the area that suffered due to slackness of the past regimes.

“Forefathers of G-B people have rendered great sacrifices for their liberation, but unfortunately the governments chosen by them in the past did not recognize their sacrifices,” said Gandapur on Monday while addressing a public meeting at Khaplu.

The federal minister claimed Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first leader in the history of Pakistan who took the decision for granting the provisional-provincial status to G-B by taking cognizance of its people's sufferings. Gandapur reiterated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's strong commitment of granting the right to G-B.

He regretted that the G-B dwellers had been deprived of their constitutional rights for the last 73 years, adding the prime minister had a vision to uplift the less-developed areas of the country, including G-B and the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

“The credit for FATA merger goes to the prime minister,” he remarked and pointed out that the present government had given Rs400 billion for removing the sense of deprivation from the FATA's people. Gandapur added both the opposition parties, the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had governed G-B in the past but did not own its people. “The PPP government has refused to give FATA's share in previous National Finance Commission (NFC) Award,” said the federal minister.

He believed that the opposition parties would never give them their share in the NFC awards. "It is only Imran Khan who can ensure the share of GB people in the NFC award," he added. Terming the opposition parties' leaders 'opportunists', he said they just wanted to loot public money and gain benefits by coming into power. He urged the G-B people to use 'power of the vote' for their upcoming generations by casting vote to the PTI. The minister also took jibe over the opposition parties for spewing venom against the national institutions.