ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has promulgated a presidential order to form a caretaker government and for extension of the Elections Act 2017 to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
According to a notification issued by the Federal Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, the president promulgated the “Gilgit-Baltistan Election and Caretaker Amendment Order, 2020” to conduct transparent elections in the region.
The presidential order said it was essential to give for the adaption of laws to install a caretaker government in GB for conducting a fair and transparent election. It is expedient to amend the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 SRO number 704 (1), 2018.
The order will be called the “Gilgit-Baltistan (Elections and Caretaker Government) Amendment Order, 2020”. The presidential order inserted a new Article, “48-A”. The presidential order said after Article 48 of the government of GB the new article would be inserted.
Under Article 48-A of the Elections Act 2017, all rules and regulations as are enforced in Pakistan would be adopted in the region.
It instructed that under Article 56(5) of the proposed Gilgit-Baltistan Reforms, 2019, the GB chief minister, opposition leader in the GB Assembly and the federal minister for Kashmir Affairs and GB should agree on one name for the caretaker GB chief minister.
The presidential order said, “If any difficulty arises in giving effect to any of provisions of this order, the president of Pakistan may, by notifying in the official gazette, make such provisions as he thinks fit for removing the difficulty.”
The GB Assembly will complete its five-year tenure on 24 June this year. The caretaker government would arrange elections within two months and there was a law to extend the tenure of the caretaker government in special circumstances.
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