GILGIT: Religious and political parties in Gilgit-Baltistan have launched a movement to grant constitutional status to the region.

The parties, both government and opposition, called upon the federal government to settle the matter without further delay.

These demands were made during a discussion titled ‘Important Poli­tical Issues of Gilgit-Baltistan and Their Solutions’ held at Islam­abad’s National Press Club on Thursday.

The event, organised by Fikar, a GB-based NGO, was attended by former GB chief minister and PML-N regional president Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, PPP regional president Amjad Hussain Advocate, PTI’s Muhammad Saleem, JUI-F leader and GB Minister for Excise and Taxation Haji Rehmat Khaliq, GB Opposition Leader and Majlis-i-Wahdat Muslimeen leader Kazim Mesum, GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq, Islami Tehreek-i-Pakistan (ITP) spokesperson Munir Hussain, and a large number of political and religious leaders and civil society members.

A joint statement issued at the end of the event stated that all political and religious parties were in consensus that the biggest issue of GB people was its constitutional status and identity.

The declaration said there had been a lack of collective efforts by local parties for GB’s constitutional rights. All political and religious parties will work jointly for the political rights of the region, it added.

The speakers expressed that the financial issues of the reg­ion required urgent attention for which stakeholders needed to make “sincere effo­rts beyond political differences”.

The declaration demanded the implementation of proposals made by federal ministers late Sartaj Aziz and Farogh Naseem regarding the provisional constitutional province status of GB.

The two former ministers headed committees formed by the PML-N and PTI governments, respectively, to grant GB the provisional status of a province.

Other speakers also urged the federal government to settle the constitutional status of the region.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2025