By Irfan Ghauri
ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the federal government’s Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order 2009, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Wednesday criticised Qamar Zaman Kaira’s appointment as governor, claiming it would lead to pre-poll rigging.
Addressing a press conference at PML House, PML-Q Gilgit-Baltistan in-charge Marvi Memon said the package should have been implemented through an act of parliament after consultation with all political parties.
Massive rigging: She said people of the area felt the government had imposed governor’s rule in the province by appointing a non-local to the post. She claimed people were already apprehensive this would lead to rigging of the legislative assembly elections scheduled for November 12. She alleged that Kaira’s appointment, as governor, was unacceptable because he was a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) minister, adding a neutral governor should have been appointed in the caretaker setup. She said holding the offices of governor and minister simultaneously was not allowed under Article 103(2) of the constitution.
She said that unlike the PML-Q government, the PPP government’s package would have eight of the 15 members of the Northern Areas Council appointed through the federal government, ensuring the elected representatives would be in the minority. She said the issue of autonomy was still not being addressed, as the government had merely renamed the Kashmir Affairs and Northern Affairs Ministry as the Gilgit-Baltistan Ministry. She claimed the new package had also removed the suo motu powers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court.
Marvi alleged the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) forms had been distributed in Gilgit-Baltistan through non-elected members to buy votes for the ruling party. She claimed the government was transferring bureaucrats in each district of Gilgit-Baltistan to favour the PPP in the upcoming polls. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\09\17\story_17-9-2009_pg7_7
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