GILGIT: The central leadership of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Saturday promised to settle issues of Gilgit-Baltistan people, particularly guaranteeing them their long-awaited constitutional rights.

They said the governments in the centre ignored people of the region in the past, but the PTI government would meet all their demands.

Addressing a workers’ convention at the party’s secretariat in Gilgit, PTI central secretary general and MNA Amir Kiani, adviser to prime minister Iftikhar Durrani and central leader Babar Awan insisted that the PTI would form the next government in GB.

Mr Kiani said political rights of people of the region would be guaranteed.

He said the apex court’s verdict regarding GB people’s rights would be implemented in letter and spirit as they were the most patriotic citizens of the country.

Say party will form next govt in region

He said the region was rich in natural resources, but the governments in the past committed injustices with the region.

Mr Awan said after Muharram Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit GB to announce a constitutional package for them.

“GB people will get benefits from CPEC and work on Diamer-Bhasha Dam project will be started soon,” he said.

The PTI leaders said the central government had not cut any funding for PSDP projects or budget for GB. They also condemned the Indian forces’ brutality on Kashmiri people.

Earlier, PTI GB president Syed Jaffar Shah demanded that GB should be declared provisional province of Pakistan till settlement of the Kashmir issue.

“There is no legal hurdle to making GB as provisional province of Pakistan.”

Mr Shah said GB had been ruled through executive orders for last seven decades, and the people now wanted an end to this practice.

He asked the PTI leaders to table a resolution in the National Assembly to declare GB as provisional province.

PTI information secretary Akbar Hussain Akbar, Sabir Hussain and other leaders also spoke on the occasion.

A large number of party workers from Gilgit, Nagar, Hunza and Ghizer districts participated in the convention.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2019