G-B Assembly slams bill on Balochistan
Passes unanimous resolution condemning the US Congressman’s move.
GILGIT:
The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (G-BLA) on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the bill introduced in the US Congress on Balochistan, and termed it an attempt to sabotage ties between the two nations.
The resolution was tabled by Law Minister Wazir Shakil. The session, saw a one-sided debate as the legislators, including JUI-F’s Maulana Sarwar, and independent member Raziuddin voiced their disdain at the bill which was presented in the US House of Representatives. It called upon Pakistan to recognise the Baloch right to self-determination.
It reportedly referred to the 1958, 1973 and 2005 ‘revolts’ in the country’s poorest province, which shows continued discontent against Pakistan’s rule. “The bill presented in the US Congress is an attempt to destabilise Pak-US ties,” the resolution stated, and added that it lacked popular support elsewhere in the US.
In the question and answer session, the legislators expressed reservations over the financial condition of the G-B government, insisting that more money from the federal government was needed to complete projects and carry out development for the people’s welfare.
After a brief interval, some members, including Rehmat Khaliq of JUI-F, independent member Didar Ali and Mirza Hussain of PML-Q, questioned the credibility of the tests and interviews conducted recently for some posts in government departments. “The tests and interviews were not fair, and the results have been withheld in an attempt to make appointments on the basis of nepotism,” they claimed.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2012.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (G-BLA) on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the bill introduced in the US Congress on Balochistan, and termed it an attempt to sabotage ties between the two nations.
The resolution was tabled by Law Minister Wazir Shakil. The session, saw a one-sided debate as the legislators, including JUI-F’s Maulana Sarwar, and independent member Raziuddin voiced their disdain at the bill which was presented in the US House of Representatives. It called upon Pakistan to recognise the Baloch right to self-determination.
It reportedly referred to the 1958, 1973 and 2005 ‘revolts’ in the country’s poorest province, which shows continued discontent against Pakistan’s rule. “The bill presented in the US Congress is an attempt to destabilise Pak-US ties,” the resolution stated, and added that it lacked popular support elsewhere in the US.
In the question and answer session, the legislators expressed reservations over the financial condition of the G-B government, insisting that more money from the federal government was needed to complete projects and carry out development for the people’s welfare.
After a brief interval, some members, including Rehmat Khaliq of JUI-F, independent member Didar Ali and Mirza Hussain of PML-Q, questioned the credibility of the tests and interviews conducted recently for some posts in government departments. “The tests and interviews were not fair, and the results have been withheld in an attempt to make appointments on the basis of nepotism,” they claimed.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2012.