Figures speak for themselves

By Dj Mathal

After getting a sum of Rs12.98 billion in ‘alms’ from the government of Pakistan, the powerless finance minister Mohammad Ali Akhtar presented the first non-development budget 2010-11 of Gilgit-Baltistan after introduction of the so-called self-governance and empowerment order 2009. According to his budget speech, Rs6.40 billion would be spent on payment of salaries, pensions and other perks and allowances to government employees while only Rs6.57 billion have been earmarked for development work in the region. The budget also envisaged 50 per cent raise in salaries and 20 per cent increase in pensions. There would be 100 per cent raise in the medical allowance of employees from grade 1 to 15. The government would fill about 250 vacant posts in the police 1,500 posts in other departments in the region during the next fiscal year.

According to the budget documents, Rs3 billion have been promised for all ongoing and new development projects in the region. Under the plan, 200 km long new roads would be constructed. For the health sector, Rs20.73 million and education 290.58 million have been set aside in the budget.

For the rehabilitation and development of the affected people of Attabad, an amount of 200 million would be provided.

Under the plan, the local government plans to start work on construction of 14 new projects in the region.

The districts in the region will be getting budgetary allocations as under: Gilgit, 380.60 million; Skardu, 560.17 million;  Ghizer, 300.46 million; Ghanche, 220.62 million; Hunza Nagar 240.11 million; Astore, 170.97 million, and Diamer 330, 82 million.

However, key departments like that of livestock, dairy development, forest, agriculture, fisheries and mineral have been promised very meager amount showing the government’s apathy towards their uplift.

The first ever budget of the new setup has exposed the hollow claims of the PPP led federal government which it had made before announcing the so-called package for the region last year. The leaders of the PPP had brushed aside criticism and rejection of the package by the nationalists and other local leaders of Gilgit-Baltistan saying the federal government was sincere in giving the region a truly democratic setup for the first time in accordance with the wishes of the people aimed to eliminate poverty, backwardness and sense of deprivation from the area. They had also claimed that the new system would enable the local people to utilize their resources in accordance with their wishes without outside interference for the progress and prosperity of the area leading to a revolution in all spheres of life.

According to a rough estimate, the annual income of the region, not withstanding the unfavorable conditions, at present is more than Rs50 billion which, unfortunately, is under the total control of Pakistan. Under the so-called good governance package, the simple people of the region were deceived by promising that this Rs50 billion, ie the overall income generated in the region, would not go under the control of the federal government and would be spent on welfare projects for the prosperity of the local people. However, the budget speech of the dummy finance minister has exposed all the claims of the rulers and promised they made with the masses of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Rs12 billion total outlay is even not enough to run the region’s day-to-day affairs which require at least Rs20 billion. According to our information, various departments of the region owe Rs5 billion to the exchequer. Our first governor who before her inception had claimed in Islamabad that she was going to the region with a single briefcase and would come back with that briefcase alone, within her first month in the office ate up to 40 million rupees from the kitty by staying in a five-star hotel in Islamabad. Similar is the case with the dummy chief minister who before coming to power could not have even thought of buying a Suzuki Mehran is now has under his use Mercedes Benz and is protected from the reach of the masses by a police squad in two other cars. Of course, when it comes to our ruling class, we are not poor people!

The PPP, which never tires of claiming to be the champion of democracy, has miserably failed to fulfill its own promises and give relief to the two million people of the region. Even if the rulers give only two-third of the income generated in the region many of the locals’ woes would be resolved. It is the misfortune of the people that despite warnings by sincere people and intellectuals of the region they failed to recognize cheaters, fraudsters and so-called political leaders and elected them to powers. For the masses of the region, time is running out fast and even now if they failed to differentiate between good and bad, their next generations will be stuck in a quagmire from where they would never get out.  
 

Step-motherly attitude with Ghizer 

Former president Pervez Musharraf had announced two mega projects for the district of Ghizer considering its backwardness and poor infrastructure. These projects were Ghizer-Tajikistan highway and the 82 megawatt Phunder power house. Besides, Musharraf had also allocated Rs280 million for the blacktopping of the Ghizer-Shandur road.

However, the present government has abandoned all the projects without giving any reason. This has created resentment among the 200,000 people of the area.

Now the Ghizer-Tjikistan highway has been shifted to Chitral in NWFP while the electricity project has faced the red tape of Wapda. Similarly, the funds allocated for the Shandur road has been diverted by the dummy chief minister to his hometown of Skardu.

The irony is the so called elected representatives from the area are even unable to raise voice against this injustice with the backward district. The area people have called upon the federal government to save them from the injustices of the chief minister and release the funds promised by the former president to the area.