G-B interim cabinet: New appointments strain ties with Centre

Three members selected without caretaker chief minister’s consent.

GILGIT: Federal Minister for Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs Birjis Tahir has been blamed for allegedly selecting three members for G-B’s interim cabinet without consulting the caretaker chief minister.

Insiders familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune on Saturday that Caretaker Chief Minister Sher Jehan Mir had proposed the names of three nominees for the cabinet. However, only two of the candidates recommended by the G-B government were appointed while the other three came as a surprise.

It is believed that the federal minister allegedly selected the names of the other members and had them approved by the prime minister. However, there is no official verification in this regard.

The appointment of cabinet members in the interim government of G-B has strained ties between the caretaker chief minister and the federal government. Mir has vowed to take the matter up with the Centre and ensure that it is immediately resolved.

The five-member interim cabinet for G-B was announced on Thursday. Members of the caretaker cabinet include Inayatullah Shumali, Sheikh Nasir Zamani, Advocate Mushtaq Ahmed, Niamatullah and Sanaullah.

However, the appointments were heavily criticised by politicians and lawyers for not providing adequate representation.

The criticism forced the chief minister’s office to issue a clarification. According to the press statement issued on Friday by Sajjadul Haq, the CM’s official spokesperson, the move has upset Mir as he had recommended three nominees, one from each of the three divisions of G-B. However, the appointments have resulted in three districts of G-B—Hunza-Nagar, Ghanche and Ghizer districts—not being represented in the cabinet.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2015.