Source (Shabbir Mir – Express Tribune) The government is planning to purchase bullet proof vehicles for the Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister and governor, officials told The Express Tribune on Saturday. “A plan is afoot in this regard and if implemented, the purchase will cost Rs150 million,” an official in the G-B government, while requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune.

He confirmed that Chief Minister Mehdi Shah and Governor Pir Karam Ali would be the beneficiaries of the scheme. Another official said that following a wave of terrorism in the country and sectarian skirmishes in G-B, the government decided “to do the needful in time”. While the region has already spent millions of rupees on internal security measures, the purchase in question has drawn severe criticism from opposition leaders. The PML-N provincial president Hafizur Rehman said that the chief minister should focus on people’s issues and spend money on the poor to help uplift their standard of living. “The government isn’t serious in terms of settling the issues disrupting peace in the region,” said the PML-N chief, adding that the government should implement the recommendations of the All Parties Conference proposed this year.

Source (tribune) Declaring peace in the region is my government’s top priority, newly appointed governor to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pir Karam Ali Shah, said on Tuesday.

“If there is no peace, development is elusive. We should first ensure that peace is here,” Shah told reporters soon after he was sworn in as governor Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday.

The oath taking ceremony had twice been delayed as Shah couldn’t reach Gilgit-Baltistan, due to cancellation of flights because of bad weather.

The seasoned politician, who hails from Ghizer valley, has served as deputy chief executive of the region in 1994. After the death of Dr Shamma Khalid, Pir Karam Ali is the second governor of Gilgit-Baltistan apart from Wazir Baig, who was acting governor for almost five months after the death of Dr Shamma in September last year.

Chief Judge of Supreme Appellate Court, Justice Nawaz Khan Abbasi administered oath to him. Chief Minister Mehdi Shah, cabinet members and advisers attended the ceremony.

“President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani have been taking keen interest in the affairs of this region,” said the governor as he was greeted by PPP workers in the historic Chinar Bagh.

Chief Minister Mehdi Shah said it was his desire that someone from the PPP should be made governor. I am thankful to the president that he honored our wish, he said, adding “We hope he will deliver.”

Mehdi Shah said the name of a woman was also under consideration for the slot, but he had told the president about the “reservations” people had about that. “A woman wouldn’t have been an ideal option for G-B and we are thankful to the president for a male governor,” he said.

Masses across Gilgit-Baltistan paid rich tribute to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for appointing Pir Syed Karam Ali Shah as the Governor of the region. Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Engineer Muhammad Ismail Thursday said best selection was made by the Prime Minister and President in larger interest of masses and party workers because Pir Karam Ali Shah was a seasoned politician and a loyal worker of the party. He congratulated the new Governor and expressed hope that Pir Sahib would play vital role for the betterment of the region.

Source (Tribune)The federal government decided on Monday to appoint Pir Karam Ali Shah as the new governor of Gilgit-Baltistan. The post was lying vacant for more than four months after the death of the first G-B Governor Dr Shama Khalid, who died on September 15 last year.

Sources said that the decision was taken by President Asif Ali Zardari in consultation with Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and other party leaders. However, a notification to this effect has not yet been issued. It is likely that the notification will be issued today.

Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Speaker Wazir Baig was performing as acting governor since the death of the first governor.

Shah along with G-B Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah held separate meetings with Zardari and the prime minister on Monday. Shah is a sitting member of the G-B Legislative Assembly and is considered one of the stalwarts of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Shah was a close aide of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and also served as the first deputy chief executive of the then Northern Areas Legislative Council under the Legal Framework Order during the first stint of the PPP government in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, several political parties in Gilgit have welcomed appointment of Shah as the governor. “We expect that the new governor will utilise his experience for the development of the region,” Hafiz ur Rehman, the provincial chief of PML-N told.

Author : Aftab Ahmed
From : Gilgit
Occupation : M.Engg Student in Mehran Engineering University
Email: dcet127@gmail.com

Bullet proof vehicles have to be purchased for the CM and Governor Gilgit-Baltistan and if approved, it would cost 150 Million Rupees. I cannot understand the misery of why the government and the politicians always place their security on priority basis rather facilitating the people already deprived of even the basic amenities of life. The poor is dying of hunger and they are busy planning their personal security with the blood of people. If their security is so much important then why they are not arranging it by their own expenses? As they can manage it. Why they consider them self the most important to ones among all?Why they are taking the sectarian turmoil as deadly for them self only rather the victim is always the poor one who leaves his home early in the morning in search of his food?

For God sake Mr.Chief Minister & Mr.Governor nobody is going to hit you. Can you please refuse the bullet proof’s and order to spent these 150Million to setup a Professional institute i-e an Engineering, Medical or a Law college so that the youth can equip themselves with the modern and most demanded education which is inevitable in bringing up the status of this region equal to that of the modern world. And if yes, then I am sure that God will be protecting you from any attack of you fear. The whole region will then pray for your protection. They will volunteer them self to body guard you. This is all about “to do the needful in the time”
We must be aware of the fact that the only key to overthrow the threats of terror is by facilitating and promoting Education. The government is responsible to ensure the security of each and every person of its state. Purchasing only two bullet proof vehicles is not the solution to the problem.

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