GILGIT(National Times)- Seven members of Gilgit-Baltistan Cabinet belonging to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) took oath of their offices on Monday, while four members of Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) did not take oath as they remained absent from the oath-taking ceremony. Portfolios of cabinet members will be allotted later.
GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah administered the oath to the cabinet members at the oath-taking ceremony held at the Governor House in Gilgit.
One cabinet member of PPP, Syed Tuqeer Mahdi, who is also son of GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah, couldn’t take oath as he was in Skardu and couldn’t reach Gilgit due to blocked Baltistan Road.
The ceremony was attended by GB Chief Minister Advocate Amjad Hussain, members of GB Assembly and senior officials and supporters of cabinet members.
On July 22, the GB chief minister had announced a 12-member cabinet comprising eight members from PPP and four from IPP.
IPP lawmakers remain absent from ceremony amid road closures
The PPP cabinet members were: Zulfiqar Ali Murad, Syed Jalal Shah, Muhammad Ali Akhtar, Naiknam Karim, Iqbal Hassan, Raja Nasir Khan, Muhammad Naseem and Syed Tauqeer Mehdi, while IPP members were Aman Ali, Asad Shafiq, Anwar Ali and Muhammad Dilpazeer.
The four IPP members picked for the cabinet had contested June 7 elections as independent candidates, but later joined their current party.
Sources said the reason for the absence of IPP members of GB Assembly nominated by GB chief minister for his cabinet, remained unknown.
They said IPP chief and Federal Minister for Communication Abdul Aleem Khan arrived in Skardu on Monday to review the road restoration work.
Some sources said there is a deadlock on the power-sharing formula between PPP and IPP as IPP has been demanding five cabinet seats while GB chief minister has notified four IPP men as cabinet members from IPP.
Currently, the GB Assembly comprises 14 members from PPP, nine from PML-N, seven from IPP, one from the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) and one PTI-backed independent candidate.
Meanwhile, by-election for one seat of GB Assembly, GBA-9, Skardu-III, will be held on September 5.
Talking to journalists after the oath-taking ceremony of GB cabinet members, the GB chief minister rejected the speculation of a deadlock between IPP and PPP on the power-sharing formula.
He claimed that IPP chief and Federal Communication Minister Abdul Aleem Khan arrived in Skardu on Sunday and some of IPP members were in Skardu to receive him and therefore couldn’t reach Gilgit to take oath of their offices due to blocked road.
Discussing the situation in GB, the chief minister said the people of the area are facing different challenges including climate change, Glof-triggered disasters, melting of glaciers and floods.
He said Baltistan Road, Astore Valley Road and other roads are blocked and heavy machinery has been deployed and road restoration and clearing work is underway. He, however, said that high water discharge in the river is hampering work.
“All relevant departments are making efforts to install a bridge on the Baltistan Road to restore traffic as thousands of people in vehicles and travelling between Skardu and Gilgit are stranded at both sides of blocked area at Baltistan Road and Skardu residents are facing the severe fuel and food shortage,” the GB chief minister said.
“We are going through multiple crises at present. The areas currently cut-off are facing a very serious food supply shortage issue. Last night and again this morning, we distributed food packs and water among stranded tourists and local people at Baltistan Road.
The GB chief minister said these disasters are a recurring phenomenon in the region “Yesterday, I personally had to cross the blocked Baltistan Road while sitting on the bucket of an excavator. Even today, the IPP chief Aleem Khan could not cross the route and had to return to Skardu due to blocked road,” the GB chief minister said.
