By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan’s federally administered Northern Areas is to get enhanced political, administrative and financial powers under an empowerment package approved by President Pervez Musharraf – a move prompted by the return of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The decision was taken Saturday at a meeting Musharraf presided over. Present at the meting, among others, were Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Tahir Iqbal and Deputy Chief Executive of the Northern Areas Ghazanfar Ali.
The package envisages law-making powers for the Northern Areas Legislative Council.
“There had been considerable disenchantment among the people of these areas as they had to come down to Islamabad for sorting out petty matters in the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas (KANA),” the Dawn reported Sunday.
“At present, the areas are governed by the chief secretary who, as a representative of the federal government, enjoys unbridled powers; and the deputy chief executive, as head of the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC), works under the directives of the KANA,” it added.
The devolution order, sources said, had been on the president’s table for quite some time, but could not be approved because of some “unexplained reasons”.
Quoting sources, the Dawn said the step “has been taken in the light of a surge in political activity in these areas after the return of Bhutto. Her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has a vast following in these areas and a large number of workers had travelled to Karachi to welcome her”.
The task of preparing the empowerment package was assigned to the law ministry, which took six years in drafting it in consultation with KANA.
Under the package, the federal government would devolve its powers to district governments to be set up through elections in the Gilgit, Ghanche, Gizer, Skardu, Astore and Diamer districts of the Northern Areas.
“The president has directed authorities concerned to improve the package to accommodate viewpoints of elected representatives of the Northern Areas Legislative Council,” the Dawn said.
The NALC, the sources said, had proposed a change in its nomenclature to assembly and suggested some other changes in the basic draft.
The president also approved additional funding for Gilgit and Skardu airports and directed the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to increase the number of flights to both areas.
He pledged more funds for development projects in these areas with the support of the Asian Development Bank.
Musharraf said he was confident that the package would fulfil a long-standing demand of the people of the Northern Areas.
The government was committed to developing neglected and under-developed areas to bring them on a par with the rest of the country, he added.