Gilgit Baltistan government promulgates GB Order 2018

GILGIT: Gilgit Baltistan (GB) government on Monday formally promulgated Gilgit Baltistan Order 2018, which provides devolution of greater administrative authority and financial powers to the area.

Addressing a press conference, GB Law Minister Aurangzeb Advocate and information adviser Shams Mir said it was a historic initiative which would bring GB at par with other parts of the country in terms of socio-economic development.

Referring to the opposition, they said political orphans took to social media to pursue propaganda against such measures and mislead masses through bogus documents but finally they got exposed and the GB Order 2018 was enforced which featured reforms on judiciary, legislative and administrative levels.

They said these drastic reforms had been basic demand of people of the area and now they were witnessing the same materializing in the shape of GB Order 2018 which guaranteed all fundamental rights of people of area.

They said in the last empowerment order guaranteed only 17 basic rights and that too was limited only to GB, but now in light of the GB order 2018, a citizen of the area could demand his or her rights at any corner of the country and had access to all apex courts of the country.

They said five-member committee had been constituted to depoliticize appointment of judges in GB andthe prime minister would appoint judges in apex courts on its recommendations.

They said the name of the chief court had been changed into high court and number of high court judges had been raised to two on demand of the lawyers’ community.

Under the reforms, they added, only a retired judge of Pakistan Supreme Court would be appointed to the office of chief justice GB appellate court.

They said that name of Legislative Assembly had been changed into Gilgit Baltistan Assembly and would have same legislative powers as provinces of the country including powers under the Schedule-IV of the country’s Constitution.

The GB Order 2108 also shifted powers of the Gilgit Baltistan Council to Gilgit BaltistanAssembly, entrusting with powers to make legislations regarding mineral, hydro power and tourism sectors.