ISLAMABAD: The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly was thrown into turmoil on Tuesday as a motion of no confidence was submitted against the Speaker, Syed Amjad Zaidi. The motion, presented by Provincial Minister Javed Manwa and Senior Provincial Minister Raja Zakaria, signifies a significant shift in the political landscape of the region.
The motion comes in the wake of a strained relationship between Speaker Syed Amjad Zaidi and Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmed Advocate, despite a previously signed two-and-a-half-year contract between the two. Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmed Advocate took the drastic step of filing a no-confidence motion after all attempts at negotiation and reconciliation failed.
The parliamentary committee responsible for mediating such conflicts made an unsuccessful effort to convince Speaker Amjad Zaidi to address the concerns raised against him. The committee’s failure led to the announcement by the like-minded group of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chapter that they would table a no-confidence motion against Speaker Syed Amjad Zaidi.
According to reports, a few days prior to the motion being filed, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Muhammad Khalid Khurshid, who is facing allegations of possessing a fake degree, appointed 14 new coordinators. This move was seen as an attempt to galvanize the Chief Minister’s support base and strengthen his position. The Chief Minister’s cabinet already comprised 12 ministers, two advisers, and five special assistants.
The newly appointed coordinators included Ashraf Hussain and Hussain from Bara District in Ghanche, Syed Mehdi Shah from Skardu District, Abdul Khaliq from Ghanche, Muhamad Adeel Ram from Shigar District, Ghulam Haider from Skardu District, Sajida Sadaqat from Astore District, Raja Shehbaz Khan from Hunza District, Manzoor Hussain from Gilgit District, Sarwar Shah from Diamer District, Kalbe Ali from Nagar District, Muhammad Yousuf from Skardu District, Atique Peerzada from Gilgit District, Muzamil Hassan from Skardu District, and Sana Ullah Khuram from Astore District.
These coordinators, appointed by the Chief Minister, will serve at his pleasure and will receive a fixed monthly salary of Rs150,000. With the addition of these 14 coordinators, the total number of public officeholders in the Chief Minister’s team now exceeds 45.
It is worth noting that there were already 10 coordinators, including two media coordinators, representing the Chief Minister in Islamabad. The GB government had previously amended the rules of business to allow for the creation of these 10 coordinator positions.
The no-confidence motion against Speaker Syed Amjad Zaidi represents a significant development in the political dynamics of Gilgit-Baltistan. The region will now witness a period of intense political maneuvering and negotiations as the motion progresses through the assembly. The outcome of the motion will determine the future leadership and stability of Gilgit-Baltistan.
