ISLAMABAD, Sep 11 (APP):Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Friday said broad-based consultations would be held on the future constitutional and administrative arrangement of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), with all relevant stakeholders taken on board. He said the consultation process on constitutional and legal matters of GB was already underway and invited the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition of Gilgit-Baltistan to participate in the next …
Broad consultations to be held on GB’s future constitutional, administrative setup: Tarar
ISLAMABAD, Sep 11 (APP):Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Friday said broad-based consultations would be held on the future constitutional and administrative arrangement of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), with all relevant stakeholders taken on board.
He said the consultation process on constitutional and legal matters of GB was already underway and invited the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition of Gilgit-Baltistan to participate in the next meeting.
The minister was chairing a meeting of the GB Issues Working Group at the Ministry of Law and Justice. Officials from Gilgit-Baltistan, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan and the Gilgit-Baltistan Council attended the meeting.
The participants held detailed discussions on the constitutional, legal, financial and administrative matters of Gilgit-Baltistan. Various options and previous reports concerning constitutional and legal issues were reviewed, along with different proposals and models for financial resources for the region.
The meeting also considered possibilities for practical reforms within the existing governance framework of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Senator Tarar said GB’s constitutional matters would be examined comprehensively and in detail, while the consultation process would continue. He stressed that financial, administrative and constitutional matters should be considered in an integrated manner.
He directed the Working Group to formulate practical and workable proposals for resolving the issues of Gilgit-Baltistan and prepare an interim report, along with recommendations, for consideration by the main committee.
The minister said more time would be required to reach an agreed constitutional and legal solution for GB, stressing that broad consultations and national consensus were essential.
He said the views of all relevant parties should be duly considered and that the participation of the GB Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the next meeting would help incorporate their perspectives into the consultation process.
Senator Tarar said protection of the rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and ensuring their sense of equality remained a top priority.
