ISLAMABAD, April 21: A Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) session has yet to be convened to debate and adopt a draft bill for the enactment of an interim constitution for Gilgit-Baltistan, officially known as Northern Areas.

The draft bill was moved by Syed Jaffar Shah, member of the council and chairman of the committee on law, some three months ago.

The document seeks adoption of the private bill which will ensure better governance of the Northern Areas unless its status is determined.

Preamble of the bill, entitled “The Northern Areas Interim Constitution Act”, says a 70,000 sq km area was liberated by the people of Northern Areas from Dogra rulers. A constitutional status of the area, Mr Shah said, had not yet been determined mainly because of the Kashmir issue.

The mover stated that it was necessary to adopt the bill to provide a better government to the region. For this purpose, the draft bill says, the LFO of 1994 should be repealed to provide the people of Northern Areas a government through their chosen representatives and to have an access to justice through an independent judiciary for the enforcement of their fundamental rights in the light of the Supreme Court of Pakistan verdict and in provisions with Article 21 of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.

The draft bill defines the Northern Areas as territories of districts Ghizer, Gilgit, Skardu, Diamer and Ghanche and other such territories as may come under the administrative control of Northern Areas.

The bill envisages the post of president and prime minister for the region, and a supreme court. It defines the citizen of Northern Areas as a person who on Nov 1, 1947, was settled in any part of these areas.

The private bill envisages a supreme court for the Northern Areas, comprising two judges and a chief justice.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan in a verdict on May 28, 1999, directed the government to take administrative and legislative steps for the enforcement of fundamental rights in the Northern Areas, and allow them to be governed by their elected representatives within a period of six months.

The apex court in its judgment on a constitutional petition, asking the court to determine the status of the areas, held that people of the Northern Areas were citizens of Pakistan for all intent and purposes. It, however, declined the request that the Northern Areas people should be given representation in Pakistan’s parliament,

The court had noted that the geographical location of the areas was very sensitive because it was bordering India, China, Tibet and the former Soviet Union.