Controversy up north: G-B interim cabinet nominations spark anger

Lawyers and politicians claim merit has been ignored

GILGIT: The five-member interim cabinet of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) has been announced with representatives belonging to various areas of the region. However, it has met criticism from several quarters.

The announcement was made Thursday night after Caretaker Chief Minister Sher Jehan Mir met Federal Minister for G-B and Kashmir Affairs Birjis Tahir in Islamabad.

“A notification about the appointment has also been issued,” a G-B government official told The Express Tribune on Friday.



Members of the caretaker cabinet are Inayatullah Shumali, who hails from Diamer district and is the chairman of the G-B National Alliance; Sheikh Nasir Zamani, who is a religious scholar and social activist from Nagar Valley; Advocate Mushtaq Ahmed, who is a senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader from Astore district; Niamatullah who belongs to Bunji; and Sanaullah, a former bureaucrat from Skardu town.

Portfolios are expected to be allocated later this week after an oath-taking ceremony.

However, some areas of G-B have not been given representation in the cabinet. These include Ghizer and Hunza Valley.

Reaction

Lawyers in G-B have reacted sharply to the appointment of the interim cabinet.

In a statement issued on Friday, G-B Bar Council, Supreme Appellate Bar Association and District Bar Association threatened to protest if the appointments are not retracted soon.

“Ignoring lawyers means pushing them against the wall,” the statement reads. “The appointments of cabinet members are based on likes and dislikes, not merit.”

Politicians have also been angered by the cabinet nominations.

“It seems merit has completely been flouted in the appointments,” said Fida Nashad, a senior PML-N leader from Skardu. “The cabinet must have a balanced representation,” he said, adding Baltistan region is under-represented.

The criticism forced the chief minister’s office to issue a clarification on Friday.



“We had recommended three names for the cabinet, one each from the three divisions of G-B,” a spokesman said. “Two of the names we sent were accommodated; the remaining three members were appointed without consultations with us,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2015.