GILGIT, Sept 8 Thousands of people marched on roads in favour of the government's political reforms package for Gilgit-Baltistan here on Tuesday.

They severely criticised those Kashmiri leaders who were opposing the political reforms package for the region.

Around 5,000 people from different areas of the region participated in the rally including leaders of political parties. They chanted slogans in favour of the empowerment package for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Speakers while addressing the gathering said that people of the region were ready to abandon their longstanding demand for political reforms if the Kashmiri political leadership gave slot of the presidency of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to Gilgit-Baltistan.

Former chief executive of the Northern Areas and leader of the PML-Q Fida Ahmed Nashad, PPP leader Mehdi Shah, Member Legislative Council Imran Nadeem, District Council Chairman Raja Bilal and other leaders spoke on the occasion.

They criticised the Kashmiri political parties and leaders for opposing political rights to Gilgit-Baltistan.

“The Kashmiris had never backed our struggle for basic human rights. Even they did not support us during worst crises,” a speaker said on the occasion.

The leaders pointed out that Speaker of the AJK assembly lived in Rawalpindi while his deputy was from Karachi but, unfortunately, not a single membership had been given to Gilgit-Baltistan in the AJK assembly.—APP