PPP’s Amjad Hussain on Monday was sworn in as the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan in a ceremony attended by his party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Advocate Hussain was elected for the role on June 22 following the June 7 elections, in which the PPP emerged as the largest party, with 12 seats in the 24-member GB assembly.
Addressing the ceremony in Gilgit after taking the oath, Hussain said the PPP emerged as the “largest party” in the elections.
He noted that the region’s youth and women “had a huge role” in the polls, in which his party candidates secured several seats.
Hussain particularly thanked the people of Nagar who “gave the PPP 100 per cent results and two seats”, adding that the “heavy mandate” given to his party was an expression of the public confidence in the PPP.
He highlighted that the Gilgit and Baltistan divisions were traditionally considered areas with a mandate for the PPP, thanking the residents there for maintaining that support.
“This mandate is not a new thing,” the newly sworn-in CM said, stressing that the relationship between his party and the people of GB had existed for three generations.
He further pointed out, “The people of GB broke many records. Never had it happened that one party is in [power in] the Centre and another party given the trust in GB.”
Hussain prayed that God may help him fulfil the “most difficult responsibility” given to him as the chief minister, as decided by the PPP leadership.
He appreciated PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, GB affairs minister Amir Muqam, and opposition leader Hafeezur Rehman for “adhering to democratic principles and giving the PPP the chance to form the government”.
He also thanked Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) chairman Aleem Khan for “helping” the PPP during the entire process that had resulted in the unopposed elections of the chief minister and the assembly speaker.
In his maiden speech as the GB CM, Hussain shed light on the key attributes of the region.
He noted that GB was home to 7,000 glaciers, making it the region with the largest amount of glacial ice outside the polar region.
“This is the third pole massive ice reserve that basically acts as a watershed for Pak. GB’s all 7,000 glaciers feed into the Indus river system […] and fulfil the foundational needs of all provinces’ agriculture.”
He also mentioned the region’s contribution to the supply of drinking water and hydropower generation.
Advocate Hussain also underscored GB’s potential as an eco-tourism hub, describing the Karakoram and Hindu Kush-Himalaya ranges as “world-famous”. He noted that the glaciers were also home to rare wildlife species.
“People from around the world want to come to GB […] but to reach here, we could not even end the uncertain travel conditions in 78 years,” he said.
Bilawal vows to ‘struggle’ for GB on national level
Bilawal also addressed the ceremony, vowing that he would “fight the struggle” on the national level for the people of GB.
“While a new generation is fighting this struggle here, god-willing, this new generation will take your struggle forward on the level of Pakistan,” the Bhutto scion said, pointing towards himself.
“You gained independence from the Dogra rule, but then slavery under the FCR was imposed upon you,” he said, referring to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) that was widely condemned as an oppressive law.
He recalled that his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto revoked the FCR, and that under his mother, ex-PM Benazir Bhutto, they “got the political space”.
Describing the people of GB as patriotic, Bilawal noted that President Asif Ali Zardari led the efforts for the region to be recognised as Gilgit-Baltistan.
The PPP had focused on the right of governance, right to property and right to employment in its election campaign, which Bilawal spearheaded with fiery speeches in various cities of GB.
The PPP had announced that it would form a government in GB with the support of the PML-N. However, they agreed that the PML-N would sit in the opposition.
The swearing-in ceremony at Chinar Bagh, initially set for July 1, had been postponed as Bilawal went to Iran to attend supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral.
More to follow
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