GILGIT: Lawyers across Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday boycotted court proceedings against the federal government for not settling the constitutional status of the region.

The lawyers did not appear in lower and high courts in all the 10 districts, as a result, litigants faced difficulties.

The protest call was given by GB Bar Council, GB Supreme Appellate Court Bar Association, high court bar association and all district bar associations.

Talking to Dawn, GB Bar Council vice-chairman Javed Ahmed saidlawyers’ associations had long been protesting for constitutional rights of the people.

He said their movement was also supported by the political parties.

He said lawyers were protectors of human rights and that the struggle against denial of constitutional rights to the GB people was their responsibility.

Mr Ahmed said: “Successive governments have ignored the rights of the people of GB.”

He said the lawyers’ bodies had unanimously decided to continue the struggle till attainment of the peoples’ rights.

He demanded implementation of the Sartaj Aziz committee recommendations for settlement of the GB status.

He said GB should be declared a provisional province of Pakistan.

Other lawyers’ leaders said allotment of land in GB to outsiders should be cancelled and a ban should be imposed on non-local people’s appointment in the region.

According a press release issued by GB Bar Council, a high-level meeting attended by representatives of all lawyers’ associations, PPP and PML-N leaders in Gilgit, unanimously demanded enforcement of an amended GB Order 2018 till implementation of the Sartaj Aziz committee recommendations in the region.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2018