G-B council still waiting to convene

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has failed to call a session of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council, six months after its formation.

The council was constituted by the federal government under Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Empowerment and Self Governance Order-2009 in March this year, to satisfy a longstanding demand for greater autonomy.

When asked about the unusual delay in summoning the council, deputy secretary of the council, Talah Mohammad, said that a meeting could not be held due to some administrative matters and engagements of the prime minister. “The council is a new body and streamlining its administrative matters will take time,” he said.

He added that it was scheduled to meet in the first week of August but was postponed in the wake of unprecedented floods in the country. The session is expected to be held soon after Eid.

“There are numerous issues pending for which the meeting needs to be convened urgently,” another official said on condition of anonymity. “We are sitting idle since its formation and we do not know what to do,” he added.

Since G-B has no representation in the Council of Common Interests as well as in the NFC award, we want to register our concerns through this forum and demand that a session be held as soon as possible, he said.

Another member, Amjad Hussain Advocate, said that the meeting of the council was twice rescheduled and then cancelled due to engagements of the prime minister as well as the flood disaster. “It will hopefully meet after Eid,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2010.