G-B demands interim province status

The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution recommending that the region be granted interim provincial status through constitutional amendments and necessary legislation, while also seeking representation in Pakistan’s National Assembly, Senate and other federal constitutional institutions.

The jointly adopted resolution calls on the federal government to declare G-B an interim province by introducing the required constitutional and legal changes.
It states that granting interim provincial status would not affect Pakistan’s principled and legal stance on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute or alter its obligations under the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

According to the resolution, the proposed interim status would remain subject to any future plebiscite or political settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

The resolution also maintains that the people of G-B be granted constitutional, political and democratic rights comparable to those enjoyed by citizens of Pakistan’s other provinces. It proposes representation for the region in the National Assembly, Senate and other federal constitutional bodies.

The assembly further called on the federal government to immediately initiate the necessary constitutional, legal and administrative measures to implement the resolution in consultation with all relevant stakeholders in G-B.

The resolution emphasizes the need to include G-B in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award to ensure the region receives a fair share of national resources, enabling its residents to enjoy equal access to rights and development opportunities available to the country’s other provinces.

The resolution bears the signatures of Leader of the House Amjad Hussain, Leader of the Opposition Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, Deputy Speaker Malik Khalilur Rehman, as well as members from both the treasury and opposition benches.