GILGIT: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira arrived in Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday and held meetings with leaders of different political and religious parties to evolve a consensus to form a coalition government in the region.

Soon after his arrival, Mr Kaira met GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah and Opposition Leader in the GB Assembly and PPP President Advocate Amjad Hussain and PML-N and JUI-F leaders.

The election of the new chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan will be held on July 13.

Mr Kaira tried to convince the PPP leader Advocate Amjad Hussain and PPP GB Assembly member Shahzad Agha to withdraw their resignations as they have presented their resignations to the GB assembly speaker in protest against the nomination of PTI disgruntled member Gulber Khan as a candidate for the post of the GB chief minister.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Mr Kaira said he met leaders of various groups of the GB Assembly to promote political harmony in the region.

Mr Kaira and Advocate Amjad Hussain have been summoned to Karachi by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for a meeting on Wednesday to finalise a strategy for the election of the GB chief minister.

Mr Kaira said that after meeting the party leadership in Karachi, the PPP would take a decision in the interest of the region on Wednesday.

On Monday, Opposition leader in Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and PPP President Advocate Amjad Hussain and PPP member Shahzad Agha resigned from their assembly membership over nomination of PTI disgruntled member Gulber Khan as the joint candidate for the new chief minister of GB.

In the 32-member house, PTI has 19 members, PPP four, PML-N three, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen three, Islami Tehreek Pakistan one, JUI-F one, and one independent candidate. The former CM had nominated Raja Azam Khan for the coveted position with the approval of PTI chief Imran Khan.

Initially, opposition parties had decided to nominate a joint candidate with the support of disgruntled PTI members and claimed the support of the required 17 members. The authority to decide the candidate from any opposition party member was given to the central leadership of PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in consultation with PPP and JUI-F, had nominated Haji Gulber Khan, a disgruntled member of PTI, for the position of chief minister.

However, PPP, PML-N and JUI-F local members expressed their reservations about the decision to nominate candidate from the disgruntled PTI group without taking them into confidence.

Three forward blocs have emerged in the PTI. One is led by Gulber Khan, the second by Javed Ali Manwa and the third by Raja Azam Khan.

Mr Kaira has asked leaders of three PTI disgruntled groups to show the strength of 12 members from PTI to form the coalition government with eight members of opposition parties.

However, no group could show the support of 12 members, sources said.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023