Political, admin reforms in GB: Bill to be tabled in upcoming session, NA body told

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday said that the government would table a reforms bill for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in the upcoming National Assembly session to introduce political and administrative reforms through an act of Parliament.
He said this while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan which met here under the chairmanship of Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan. The minister apprised the committee that it is the longstanding demand of Gilgit-Baltistan people to introduce reforms in GB to end their miseries. "The reforms have been finalised in consultation with all stakeholders," he further said.
To a question of a legislator, Gandapur apprised the committee that the Foreign Office and other stakeholders had opposed declaring GB as a provisional province of Pakistan because they felt that this could affect the Kashmir cause.
Member committee Nisar Ahmed Cheema suggested the panel to direct Pakistani foreign missions in every country, especially in Europe, to effectively highlight the Indian atrocities against Kashmiris. He said that Pakistani foreign missions can use the United Nations Human Rights Commission report on the plight of the Kashmiris to highlight massive human rights violations by Indian forces.
"If every Pakistani mission abroad manages to publish one article per month in western leading papers, it will help spread Kashmir situation to each part of the world. We need to adopt a solid strategy in this connection," Cheema said.
When asked whether the GB people would be given representation in the Parliament, the minister said if GB is not being given provisional status, how GB people would have representation in the Parliament of Pakistan. He said the GB people are availing special subsidies on a number of items and making the region a province might end these facilities.
The minister said that the development projects in the Azad Jammu & Kashmir pending from the last 10 years would be completed. He said that projects related to health and education sectors would also be carried in the GB and AJK on priority basis to provide best available facilities to the masses.
He said that a comprehensive compensation package has also been introduced to provide assistance to people affected by the Indian military's indiscriminate firing on the Line of Control (LoC). "All the affectees at LOC would be given Insaf Health Cards," he added.
He said that eco-tourism departments would also be opened to facilitate local as well as international tourists. The minister said that the ministry is also planning to make a film on the atrocities being committed by the Indian forces in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). He said that the film will be screened in the world film fairs to highlight miseries of Kashmiris.
Secretary Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan informed the committee that Rs 22 billion had been allocated in the budget of 2018-19 under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for AJ&K and GB regions. He said that a 50-bed cardiac hospital is under construction in GB, while medical colleges in district Muzaffarabad, Mirpur and Gilgit are also under construction costing Rs 6 billion. The committee also passed two resolutions against killing of innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces in IOK and unprovoked firing on the LoC by Indian forces.