- Constitutional reforms submits recommendation to PM House; Centre starts consultation with stakeholders on sensitive issue; PM Nawaz likely to announce reform package on April 5
In another apparent step towards merging Gilgit Baltistan (GB) with Pakistan through a constitutional amendment, the federal government has reportedly tasked Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan to convince Kashmiri political parties and leaders for supporting a proposed constitutional reform package for the region.
According to sources, as a constitutional reforms committee constituted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has finally submitted its recommendation to the PM House, the process of consultation with parties concerned and stakeholders especially in Azad Jammu Kashmir has been started.
The consultation with political parties, groups and Hurriyat leaders in the Kashmiri state was recently started by Prime Minister Farooq Haider following his recent meeting with Gilgit Baltistan Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman at the Kashmir Council in Islamabad. The Kashmiri prime minister has started closed-door meetings with the representatives of political parties and religious groups to discuss whether Gilgit Baltistan should be merged with Pakistan or not.
According to the sources, over a dozen of representatives from Hurriyat and other groups participated in a meeting convened by Prime Minister Haider at the Kashmir House on Friday. The sources said that majority of the political leaders were in favour of giving political power to the region through the constitutional reforms while others were of the view that the move will have “adverse consequences” for Kashmir cause.
Those who were in favour of the proposed constitutional reforms claimed that long neglected region will have members in the Senate and the National Assembly where they can raise their voice for their rights.
Confirming the consultation move, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) AJK chapter president Lateef Akbar and former prime minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed told a press conference in Islamabad that they were also consulted by Farooq Haider recently.
However, the prime minister was confused what to say about the major decision of the centre regarding the region, they said. “He (Haider) could not convince us as we cannot accept any move aimed at bifurcating united Kashmir,” they said, adding that the Kashmir chapter of the party would strongly resist the move.
During the press conference, the PPP leaders faced strong criticism for highlighting the issue for political gains as the same party when it was ruling previously had not objected giving Gilgit Baltistan a provisional provincial status through Gilgit Baltistan Self Governance Ordinance-2009.
Reliable sources told Pakistan Today that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to visit Gilgit on April 5 to address the joint session of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) and the Gilgit-Baltistan Council, where he would make an announcement about the region’s empowerment. Earlier, his visit to the area was postponed last month.
The constitutional reforms package for the region was proposed by a high-powered committee headed by Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz after various rounds of discussion with ‘all’ stakeholders in Islamabad.
