Naveed Beg
The governance model of Pakistan is colonial. The centre controls the federal units and other parts of the federation despite trumpeted provincial autonomy and devolution. The federal government controls the provinces and other parts by appointing chief secretaries and IGs. Gilgit Baltistan is not constitutionally a province but enjoys a province-like status. However, the affairs of the GB are controlled by the federal government through PAS and PSP officers, like all other provinces. Presently, the Chief Minister of the GB is from PTI; therefore, the Chief Secretary and IG are obstructing his mandate of him, as Federal Government wants PTI to fail in GB. Earlier, IG and Chief Secretary have been disobeying Chief Minister openly in political decisions. It is an absolute denial of the representation of the people of GB. Furthermore, it can also alienate the people of GB as centralization remains unacceptable for the local people for their rights.
The chief secretary GB Mohyuddin Wani & his finance secretary Farrukh Atiq Khan, both PAS officers, have come out with complete defiance vis-a-vis the elected chief minister of GB, Mr Khalid Khurshid Khan & his cabinet and making a mockery of the latter’s orders creating chaos and mayhem to the local government of GB. Both the officers sitting in Islamabad are calling shots and embarrassing the GB government headed by CM Mr Khalid Khurshid. Recently, the CM made Finance Secretary GB Furukh Atiq an OSD, but chief secretary GB is reluctant to notify his orders as OSD; similarly, the chief secretary GB Mr Mohyuddin issued some transfer/posting orders on 21 April during his leave period, which got cancelled by CM but CS is adamant not to comply with orders of CM. This situation has created a rebellious scenario in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is an important geographical entity in its existence bordering China, India, Afghanistan and Central Asian States.
This open defiance from the federal bureaucracy based at GB is not without reason, as Federal Govt belongs to PDM while PTI heads GB Provincial Govt. The issue popped up following the questioning of CS in a GB cabinet meeting as to how he spent around 1 billion funds without the approval of the GB cabinet; besides that, how and why finance Secretary GB and CS wrote letters to Federal Govt without the approval of GB govt wherein legislative powers of GB Assembly were questioned as well as regularization act passed by GB Assembly in the year 2020 was also questioned by sending references to Federal Finance Division & Federal Law & Justice Division Islamabad. Chief Secretary M.A.Wani felt it an offence to his highness and started defiance afterwards. Similarly, CM asked CS to transfer Finance Secretary Farrukh Atiq some three months ago, but CS kept dodging CM.
The situation was aggravated when GB Civil Service Association (GBCSA) started agitation against a discriminatory clause in GB Rules of Business 2009 wherein three slots of secretaries like Finance, Home & P&D have been exclusively reserved for PAS officers, which is humiliating for GB PCS officers as such CM ordered CS to float a summary to do away with this discriminatory clause, but CS again refused to route this summary that was taken as insubordination by CM.
Moreover, Provincial service officers were denied postings as DC and AC as per the vacancy-sharing formula, which created frustration among local officers who kept pressing hard for their demands.
The GB cabinet members further complained that the Additional CS (Dev)/PAS is altering their development schemes by himself and without their consent which creates embarrassment to them in their constituencies. The ACS (dev) GB has the liberty to cut funds from development schemes and reappropriate funds as per his choice than on a need basis. Insulting the provincial government at the hands of PAS officers in GB has become a common feature nowadays in GB. There is shouldering lava, and a ticking bomb is ready to explode if the situation is not taken care of. If GILGIT-BALTISTAN is not a province, then why a vacancy-sharing formula has been imposed on GB? Only a few officers be sent to GB like AJK, or even if these three posts are reserved for APUG/PAS in GB, then the share of PAS may be abolished against other vacancies like AC, DC, Commissioner, Secretary, Additional Secretary, DS& SO.
Lastly, it is critical that Pakistan must be governed as a federation. A federation form of governance can not function as a unitary state. The centralization and control by the Federal Government of the affairs of Provincial governments is against the federal parliamentary constitution of Pakistan. Therefore, it is critical that federal government may not intervene into the affairs of the provincial governments.
