GB Order 2018 formally promulgated

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government on Monday formally promulgated the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018, which provides devolution of greater administrative authority and financial powers to the area. Addressing a press conference, Provincial Law Minister Aurangzeb, Advocate, and Information Adviser Shams Mir said it was a historic initiative which would bring the Gilgit-Baltistan region at par with other provinces of the country in terms of socio-economic development, reported Geo News on Monday.

Referring to the opposition, they said political orphans took to the social media to pursue propaganda against such measures and mislead the masses through bogus documents but finally they got exposed and the GB Order 2018 was enforced, which featured reforms on judiciary, legislative and administrative levels.

They said these drastic reforms had been the basic demand of people of the area and now they were witnessing the same materialising in the shape of GB Order 2018, which guaranteed all the fundamental rights of people of area.

They said in the last empowerment order guaranteed only 17 basic rights and that too was limited only to GB, but now in the light of the GB order 2018, a citizen of the area could demand his or her rights at any corner of the country and had access to all apex courts of the country.

They said a five-member committee had been constituted to depoliticise appointment of judges in GB and the prime minister would appoint judges in apex courts on its recommendations. They said the name of the chief court had been changed into the Gilgit-Baltistan High Court and the number of high court judges had been raised to two on demand of the lawyers’ community. Under the reforms, they added, only a retired judge of the Pakistan Supreme Court would be appointed to the office of chief justice GB appellate court.

They said that name of Legislative Assembly had been changed into the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and would have the same legislative powers as other provinces of the country, including powers under the Schedule-IV of the country’s Constitution.

The GB Order 2108 also shifted powers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council to Gilgit Baltistan Assembly, entrusting with powers to make legislations regarding mineral, hydro power and tourism sectors.