Federal govt considers arrangement to give Gilgit-Baltistan share in NFC award

Profit by Pakistan Today reported that the federal government is weighing a mechanism that could let Gilgit-Baltistan draw a share of the National Finance Commission award. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar made the remarks on Friday, saying talks about the region's constitutional, legal and financial standing are ongoing. The region currently gets yearly federal grants, and its regional governments have repeatedly asked for a share in the award.

A working group chaired by Tarar reviewed possible constitutional options, financial and administrative matters, earlier reports and proposals aimed at building up the region's finances. The group must now produce workable suggestions and a provisional paper for the main committee. He added that wider consultations on the region's future administrative and constitutional setup will follow, and that an agreed solution will need more time and national consensus.

Separately, the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly unanimously endorsed a proposed temporary fiscal deal with the federal government, patterned on the Centre's arrangement with Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Amjad Hussain Advocate told lawmakers the federal finance division concluded the region could join the NFC only after a constitutional amendment. Until then, the division proposed an AJK-style arrangement, pending federal adoption. Amjad Hussain put the region's gap at roughly Rs17 billion, measured against needs of Rs320 billion, and under the plan the federal government would supply Rs250 billion.