New constitutional scheme for GB on the anvil

• PM’s committee to meet before September-end to build consensus on proposals • Delayed annual budget for FY2026-27 to be tabled today as region faces financial shortfall GILGIT: The federal government is consulting stakeholders on a constitutional arrangement for Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan, while the region’s deficit budget for fiscal year 2026-27 will be presented in its parliament on Monday (today). Responding to questions from Gilgit-Baltistan Asse­mbly members during its session on Saturday, Chief Minister Advocate Amjad Hussain said the constitutional status of GB was being discussed at a high level. A high-level committee, constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is working to develop consensus on the arrangement through a constitutional amendment. “A committee has been for­med, and we hope that we will reach a consensus, ” he said. “We expect the meeting to take place on Sept 25 or 26. If we succeed in achieving consensus during that meeting, then all the questions related to constitutional matters of GB will be addressed, ” he added. Sources said the high-level committee, formed by PM Shehbaz in July and chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, would meet in Islamabad on Sept 25 and 26 to review political and administrative reforms in GB. Other members of the committee include the GB chief minister, Leader of the Opposition in the GB Assembly Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman, Federal Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Minister Amir Muqam, the attorney general for Pakistan, as well as representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, law and justice, and inter-provincial coordination. An informed official told Dawn that the meeting would also endeavour to achieve consensus among stakeholders on preparing a draft amendment bill for GB’s fresh constitutional arrangement with Pakistan without affecting the Kashmir dispute with India. The committee has been tasked with submitting its recommendations to the prime minister within a month. It has held various rounds of meetings to deliberate on the political, administrative and financial issues of the region. The body has recommended a financial agreement between the federal and GB governments, similar to the one between the Centre and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), until the constitutional status of the region is determined. The GB cabinet has already approved the proposal and the region’s parliament recently endorsed it. The GB chief minister and opposition leader are also expected to attend the meeting. The committee has already discussed the legal and constitutional implications of the move. Delayed budget Meanwhile, Chief Minister Hussain announced in a statement that the delayed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 would be tabled in the GB Assembly for approval on Monday. He added that the non-development budget for GB had also been almost finalised. In July, the GB government presented a Rs20. 478 billion interim budget for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 and announced that the full budget would be presented after three months. “We have given all members a share in the budget on an equal basis for the first time, ” the CM explained in the statement. “We have not carried out any discrimination on the basis of political affiliation of any member. The funds allocated for development schemes in all constituencies [are] on an equal basis. ” Mr Hussain said the budget would focus on social-sector development. “Funds have been allocated for those segments of society that normally do not benefit much from the budget, ” he added. He said funds had also been allocated for the development of women and youth to generate economic activities for them. He explained that the GB government would have to present a deficit budget as it did not have the required resources. He said negotiations were underway with the Centre to overcome the GB government’s financial crisis. “We can’t wait for the completion of those negotiations and delay the budget any further, ” he added. The CM said the GB government was trying to secure as much as possible from the federal government. He said the GB government had demanded a share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award and that the prime minister also favoured the move. However, the federal finance ministry’s stance is that a constitutional amendment would be required for an NFC share for GB. “Until the NFC share is ensured for GB, there must still be some mechanism through which the region can function. We cannot continue under the existing arrangement indefinitely, ” he added. CM Hussain said the GB government had requested the federal government to make a financial agreement with the region similar to that with AJK. Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2026

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