Daily Times

The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution demanding Pakistan to grant the status of an interim province to Gilgit-Baltistan.

The resolution was jointly tabled by GB Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan and Opposition Leader Amjad Hussain.

The text of the resolution said that the federal government, the prime minister and the state institutions should give GB the status of an interim constitutional province and adequate representation in the National Assembly and other federal bodies. The Constitution of Pakistan should be amended to make Gilgit-Baltistan an interim constitutional province, the joint-resolution added.

“In this regard, a bill to amend the Constitution should be passed by the Parliament. Special care should be taken in the constitutional amendments so that it does not affect the Kashmir issue,” the joint-resolution stated. The people of G-B would continue to support their Kashmiri brothers politically and morally, it added.

In December 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that an exclusive committee would be tasked to work out the formalities for the provisional provincial status on a timeline basis that would meet the long standing demand of the people.

Last year in September, the government decided to elevate GB to the status of a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights, including its representation in the Senate and the National Assembly, Minister Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur said.

“After consultation with all stakeholders, the federal government has decided in principle to give constitutional rights to Gilgit-Baltistan,” the minister told a delegation of journalists from G-B. “Our government has decided to deliver on the promise it made to the people there.”