Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Monday directed the federal government to submit by Friday its draft on planned reforms for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), adding that the court will "give the territory's citizens their full rights".

In May, the GB government had promulgated the Gilgit-Baltistan Order-2018 — a move that was rejected by thousands of protesters, who demanded that GB should be declared a part of Pakistan instead of being administered through presidential orders

A seven-member larger bench of the apex court was hearing a case on GB's constitutional status today when the attorney general read out the government's response on GB reforms.

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The government stated that a committee headed by Sartaj Aziz has drafted its recommendations, assuring the court that "the people of GB will get all their constitutional rights".

At this, the chief justice remarked that "this a matter of constitutional amendment and that the government does not have a majority to make such amendments".

"If amendments cannot be made then [at least] recommendations should be implemented," the top judge added.

Salman Akram Raja, the court's assistant on the matter, suggested that "GB can be made a part of Pakistan".

At this, the judge wondered: "What will be the international implications of this?"

Justice Nisar asked senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan what Pakistan's point of view on GB was.

"Administratively, this area comes in Pakistan," Ahsan said. "This region can be given complete rights by declaring it a temporary province."

The court instructed the federal government to furnish its recommendations-based draft by Friday, adjourning the case till then.