The advisor on finance and revenue of the Northern Areas Legislative Assembly (Nala), Mirza Hussain, has demanded of the coalition government provincial setup or an autonomous political status in line with the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
In an exclusive interview with Business Recorder, he said that people of Gilgit-Baltistan have serious resentments as their fundamental political, constitutional, and financial rights have been denied for the last 60 years. He demanded of the federal government to grant the area provincial status if there is no political or constitutional hurdle.
"If there is any political hurdle to bring the area in the national political main stream, then it should be treated like Kashmir by giving an independent status having its own prime minister and president", he maintained.
We are patriot Pakistanis and not opt for the policy of guns and bombs as we observe being used as an effective tool to get their rights particularly in Balochistan and NWFP, he said, lamenting that their peaceful demand is being taken lightly by the subsequent governments.
He said the people of the Area might change their way of struggle if the government continues to ignore them. Hussain opined that despite having a legislative assembly in the Northern Areas, it has no effective role in making legislation and the budget of the Areas and all the major decisions are being taken and dictated by Kana division and being implemented through the bureaucracy sitting in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Mirza Hussain said that being advisor (minister) of finance in the legislative assembly, he has no role in the budget-making process. He accused Kana division for creating hurdles in transferring the financial and administrative powers to the Area, which were announced by President Pervez Musharraf last year after amending the LFO.
"Kana division does not want to lift its grip from the areas and creates different hurdles through different tactics", he alleged. "The elected representatives are so-called advisors or minister without power and any say. The Kana division is the absolute power player as far as the formulation of our policies are concerned", he maintained. "Being elected representatives, we are facing double problems. The pressure from our voters and the humiliation of the Kana division which often vetoes our genuine recommendations", he added.
He also expressed his reservations over the meager budget of Rs 13 billion, saying that the government should double the development funds to overcome the backwardness of the Area.
Mirza Hussain also accused the Northern Areas bureaucracy of rampant corruption and plunder of the development funds, saying that there is no mechanism of accountability. The government, he said, has established a Public Account Committee (PAC) comprising elected representatives, which is yet to be made functional.
The finance advisor also demanded of the federal government to facilitate the Area for establishing small industries, promoting tourism and up-gradation of communication network to bring the area on par with other developed parts. The Area should be customs-free encouraging to set up small industries, he added.
Hussain highlighted that there are a lot of economic and trade opportunities in the area which have yet to be exploited due to lack of funds and proper government attention, he added. The advisor hailed the role of President General Musharraf for developing the area by issuing extra development funds than the previous regimes.
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