IHC petitioned to make GB fifth province

Published June 6, 2015
Petition was filed by senior lawyer Ahmed Raza Khan Qasuri, who is also chief coordinator of APML of Pervez Musharraf.  - Courtesy www.ihc.gov.pk
Petition was filed by senior lawyer Ahmed Raza Khan Qasuri, who is also chief coordinator of APML of Pervez Musharraf. - Courtesy www.ihc.gov.pk

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday issued notices to the ministries of law and justice and the secretary Cabinet Division on a petition to make Gilgit-Baltistan the fifth province of Pakistan.

The petition was filed by senior lawyer Ahmed Raza Khan Qasuri, who is also the chief coordinator of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) of retired General Pervez Musharraf.

In the petition, advocate Qasuri also requested the court to declare unlawful the elections to the GB legislative assembly to be held on June 8.

He argued before Justice Athar Minallah that during his recent visit to Gilgit-Baltistan in connection with the elections, he found that the people of the area wanted their territory to be constitutionally integrated with Pakistan and declared as the fifth province of the county.

Giving historical background of the matter, Mr Qasuri said Gilgit-Baltistan became a separate administrative unit in 1970 under the name of Northern Areas. It was formed by the amalgamation of the former Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan district of Ladakh Wazarat and the hill states of Hunza and Nagar.

While administratively controlled by Pakistan since the first Kashmir war, GB has never been formally integrated into Pakistani state and does not participate in Pakistan’s constitutional political affairs.

On August 2009, the GB Empowerment and Self-Governance Order was passed by the federal cabinet and later signed by the then president Asif Ali Zardari, he said, adding the order was not a substitute to self-governance for the people of the area.

He requested the court to direct the federal government to take steps for converting GB into a province.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...