The proposed provisional status would be subject to any future plebiscite or political settlement of the AJK issue.
GILGIT:
The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly unanimously passed a resolution recommending that the region be granted interim provincial status through constitutional amendments and necessary legislation, while seeking representation in the National Assembly, Senate and other federal constitutional institutions of Pakistan.
The jointly adopted resolution calls on the federal government to declare Great Britain an interim province by introducing the necessary constitutional and legal changes.
It states that granting interim provincial status would not affect Pakistan’s legal and principled stance on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute or alter its obligations under relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
According to the resolution, the proposed interim status would be subject to any future plebiscite or political settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
The resolution also maintains that the people of GB will be granted constitutional, political and democratic rights comparable to those enjoyed by citizens of other provinces of Pakistan. It proposes representation for the region in the National Assembly, the Senate and other federal constitutional bodies.
The assembly further called on the federal government to immediately initiate the necessary constitutional, legal and administrative measures to implement the resolution in consultation with all relevant stakeholders in GB.
The resolution emphasizes the need to include GB in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award to ensure that the region receives a fair share of national resources, allowing its residents to enjoy equal access to development rights and opportunities available to the other provinces in the country.
The resolution carries the signatures of House Leader Amjad Hussain, Opposition Leader Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, Vice President Malik Khalilur Rehman as well as members of the Treasury and Opposition benches.
