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Mockery of justice in Gilgit Baltistan
By Dj Mathal
MAKING mockery of justice in Gilgit-Baltistan once again, the federal government has installed a retired Supreme Court of Pakistan justice as the chief judge of the Northern Areas Appellate Court. At a function attended by government officials at the NA House in Islamabad, the federal minister for Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas administered the oath to Justice (retired) Nawaz Abbasi on Friday. The function was boycotted by members of the Northern Areas High Court Bar Association. Earlier, the lawyers of the region had launched a protest campaign against the proposed appointment of the non-local and retired SC judge as the chief court head. They had also warned the government that if Justice (retired) Abbasi was installed as the appellate court chief, they would boycott the courts of law in the region. The lawyers of Gilgit-Baltistan have termed the decision of the state an injustice with the people and the lawyers' community of the region in particular.
Pakistani rulers have always maintained double standards in policy making and legislation regarding Gilgit-Baltistan. On the one hand the mantra goes on that like other provinces and cities of the country, Gilgit-Baltistan will be given all its rights and due facilities but on the other the region is directly ruled from Islamabad under a colonial system. On papers, Gilgit-Balatistan has its own legislative assembly and a chief executive but in reality all political, economic and administrative powers are vested with and executed by the bureaucracy of the federal ministry of Kashmir affairs and northern areas. There is no concept of human rights in the region and to prolong the illegal and unconstitutional control on the region, and to check the people from rising against the obsolete and unjust system, Pakistan has installed a paralyzed and powerless judiciary in the region, which is also controlled from Islamabad.
Because of the lack of implementation of a state constitution in the region, the judges of the local courts do not have the authorities and privileges which their counterparts in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir enjoy. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan had pinned high hopes in the present democratic government. They were expecting that the new rulers would rid the people of Gilgit-Baltistan of the colonial system and ensure their basic political, democratic, constitutional and economic rights. They were also looking to the new government for ensuring their democratic rights and establishing an independent judiciary in the region by replacing the so-called good governance order with a constitution for the region. But, unfortunately, the democratic government by following in the footsteps of the dictators has also decided to continue with the notorious colonial system in the area. The appointment of contractual judges in the Supreme Appellate Court is a manifestation of the same old policy. The government's move has also created tension among lawyers, civil society and other social circles in the region. The lawyers' community in the region has very rightly announced to resist the move and launch fresh movement against it.
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