GILIGT: Ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partner, PML-Q, on Tuesday lauded passage of a unanimous resolution in the Senate calling upon the central government to amend the GB Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009 to empower the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in real terms.Talking to mediapersons here, PPP’s Amjad Hussain said that GB lawmakers, speaking at a meeting held on Tuesday, said that the Senate resolution would help ensure constitutional rights to the people of GB, removing sense of alienation among them.

Mr Hussain said that the meeting was attended by lawmakers, including Wazir Baig, Nasir Khan, Mohammad Ali Akhtar, Mohammad Ayub Shah, Wazir Ibadat and Mirza Hussain.Meanwhile, according to a press release issued from the PPP media office here, the Senate on Monday unanimously adopted the resolution, moved by PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar, calling upon the government to amend the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order 2009 to reflect aspirations of the GB people.

Speaking in the Senate, Farhatullah Babar said that people of Gilgit-Baltistan had voluntarily joined Pakistan and the area had critical geo-strategic importance for Pakistan. “The people of GB are governed by the 12-member GB Council which is manned by the bureaucracy of the federal government,” said Mr Babar.

PROTEST SIT-IN: Hundreds of workers and leaders of Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Pakistan Muslim League-Q and Sunni Ittehad Council on Tuesday staged a protest sit-in in Gilgit city to show solidarity with the ‘revolution march’ of PAT in Islamabad led by Tahirul Qadri. The protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway at Chongi, suspending traffic between Gilgit and rest of the country.

Addressing the demonstrators, PML-Q president and member GBLA Mirza Hussain said that the protest sit-in would continue till demands of the participants of the ‘revolution march’ were accepted.

Mr Hussain said that the people of GB wanted ouster of the PML-N led government in the centre. “Workers from all the districts of GB are participating in the protest sit-in,” he added.

On the occasion, MWM political secretary Gulaam Abbas said that the PAT’s charter of demands also included GB‘s longstanding demand of securing constitutional rights. PML-Q leaders Bashir Ahmed Khan, Amina Ansari, MWM leader Nayar Abbas also addressed the protesters and vowed to continue the protest sit-in till fulfillment of demands.

The protesters chanted slogans against the federal government and in favour of their demands.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014