The announcement of the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order by the government last year was the latest attempt by the state to bring the region into Pakistan’s political mainstream. Under the current dispensation a newly elected assembly has elected a chief minister and a governor has been appointed by the federal government. It is for the first time that the region enjoys its own setup with an empowered legislature. People have high expectations regarding the delivery of results from the elected members Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA).

Effective management of the affairs of the assembly and good governance will require that the leaders rise above petty personal interests. The members of the GBLA and the new setup should master the modern mode of governance. Application of worn out strategies for the management of the new system would be doomed to failure.

To ensure good governance it is indispensable for GBLA members and the staff associated with the assembly to be truly empowered. The existing setup and procedures are new to most of the members of the assembly. In the absence of clear understanding of the system the local administration there is a state of confusion resulting from the fact that while the administration has experience of the previous system, the mode of administrative functioning has changed at the upper tiers of the system under the new package. One of the flaws of the empowerment package is that it was hastily put together, without an effort being made to prepare the ground for the new system. Because of this, the bulk of the development last year’s budget went to the meeting of the new system’s expenses.

Empowerment entails great responsibility. It is the responsibility of the members of the GBLA to ensure development in the area by using their powers effectively. Too much dependence on the bureaucracy and the central government will render futile all the exercise involved in setting up the new system: the election and the establishment of new institutions, as well as the legislation the assembly will produce.

Members of the GBLA enjoy perks and privileges and a hefty amount is earmarked for the chief minister and the governor of Gilgit-Baltistan. If this trend continues, the government of Gilgit-Baltistan would end up incurring a large debt on non-development expenditures. Without generation of resources at the local level the Gilgit-Baltistan government cannot meet its expenses. In the long term this will contribute to bad governance.

Gilgit-Baltistan’s failure to manage its own affairs will provide justification to the bureaucracy and some political elements at the centre to take away the powers of the GBLA. Since they are representative of the people it is the duty of the elected members to acquaint themselves well with the new system and ensure development by encouraging effective exploitation of available resources in the region. Gilgit-Baltistan has enormous potential in minerals and mining.

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan has taken some initiatives by inviting investors from other parts of the country and abroad. However, the process of issuing licenses to investors has not been transparent in the last 15 years. The practice of issuing licenses through questionable means for mining and exploration of minerals has hurt the relations between the local administration and communities.

Leasing out local resources without the consent of the local communities will only make them vulnerable to manipulation by commercial giants. A major challenge that will be faced by the government of Gilgit-Baltistan in the future will be striking balance between exploiting mining potential and protecting the local communities’ interests. For that purpose, the GBLA has to pass appropriate legislation.

The first litmus test of the newly elected government in Gilgit-Baltistan came with the aftermath of the Atabad Lake disaster, which became a human disaster because of the sheer incompetence and negligence of the chief minister and his team. This is revealed by lack of coordination between government departments and non-government organisations. The chief minister appears to be confused about his role in the new dispensation in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan shirks its responsibilities when it engages in non-issues as to the disaster, such as its moving a resolution to declare protesting Atabad victims traitors.

The issue of coordination between different departments is urgent because the absence of it will bring administrative functions to a halt, which will be the ultimate failure of governance in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The writer is associated with a rights-based organisation in Islamabad. Email: azizalidad @hotmail.com

President Hamid Karzai assured to the members of the International Community and important donors that the Afghan Government will be in position to take responsibility of the security of the entire Afghanistan in 2014.The ambitious time table formed was the center piece of Kabul International Conference, which also chart a clearer path toward an eventual exit of 130,000 foreign troops from Afghanistan

President Hamid Karzai also pledged to make more efforts to curb corruption in his administration, as the political stability of Afghanistan is hinged on the good governece with austerity meausres.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also expressed his deep concerned about the peace and economical development of Afghanistan,which is also in the interest of Pakistan as both countries shares long term common interest on the historical back-ground.President Hamid Karzai paid hommage to the efforts of the members of
Islamic countries, considering it the voice of Islam to spread the message of peace in the world.

The Prince Amyn Aga Khan addressed the conference on the behalf of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, about the role of AKDN in Afghanistan for the economical development and providing equal opportunities for all the people of Afghanistan through the active participation of the civil soiety.He further elaborated his speech saying that “the Aga Khan Development Network remains committed to the stability and growth of this important country and its people and we strongly support a significant accleration of scio-economic development process, we are ready to do whatever we can with that objective.”

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Mehdi Shah, Chief Secretary GB, Babar Yaqub, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Nadeem ul Haq, the Chairman NDMA, Secretary General to the President, Salman Farouqui, Secretary to President, Malik Asif Hayat, Secretary Communication Sharif Ahmad, spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, Director Genral Frontier Works Organization Major General Njibullah Khan and Lt General ® Shahid Niaz Member Planning Commission and heads of technical departments.

Briefing the media about the meeting Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that it was also decided to start a large and fast speed ferry service capable of ferrying big machines and merchandise so as to restore the normal life on the one hand and to facilitate the rehabilitation works on the other.

It was also decided to undertake feasibility study for building by-pass as a permanent solution to the problem of landslides in the future. The feasibility study for by-pass will be undertaken by the NHA, he said.

The decisions on Wednesday were a follow up of the President’s visit to China early this month in which the President also raised with the Chinese political leaders at the highest level the issue and sought Chinese assistance in this regard.

The President in his meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao had emphasized urgent rehabilitation measures commensurate with the seriousness the two countries attached to the connectivity projects between them, he said.

Farhatullah Babar said that following the President’s visit the Chinese government on Tuesday offered that its experts and companies would be prepared to help the government of Pakistan in undertaking the rehabilitation works and asked Islamabad to decide on the options available.

The two options that the Pakistani authorities had been debating were; one to make a bypass and two, to lower the level of the water to 30 meters, he said.

The late night Wednesday meeting decided to exercise the option of lowering the water level and undertake rehabilitation works with the assistance of Chinese immediately and at the same time to undertake feasibility study for a by-pass, he said.

Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah endorsing the decisions taken thanked President Zardari and the government of Pakistan for its efforts in addressing the issue on a permanent basis.

The Prime Minister who was also present in the meeting scheduled a meeting with the chief minister of GB on Thursday to discuss further relief measures and the financial support needed for it.

Lt. Gen. ® Shahid Nadeem former Engineer in Chief Pakistan Army and currently Member Planning Commission will be coordinator of the project that will be overseen by Secretary Communications, he said.

The Chinese government has also offered to provide relief goods to those affected people of the landslide who are not easily accessible from the Pakistan side.

President Zardari also thanked the Chinese offer of assistance and said that the offer demonstrated yet again the deep strategic ties between the two countries, the spokesperson said.