Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Sunday that Gilgit-Baltistan region will get a provisional provincial status.
Imran Khan proclaimed the government has decided “to grant Gilgit-Baltistan the provisional provincial status which was a long-standing demand of the people of the region.” He made it clear that the decision has been taken within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions.
Prime Minister Imran Khan made the announcement while addressing a gathering in Gilgit held to mark the 73rd Independence Day of Gilgit Baltistan.
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PM Imran said that he could not announce or talk about the development packages for Gilgit-Baltistan since it would be a violation of the stated procedures as elections were about to take place in the area.
"However, I will tell you that it is our government's foremost policy to uplift Pakistan's poor that amount to 25% of the population and the country's backward areas," he said.
Imran Khan, during his speech, also rich paid tribute "to GB Scouts and those shuhada (martyrs) who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the region”.
Imran Khan once again reiterated his complete support to Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa as well as head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-General Faiz Hameed.
The PM’s support for the chief of army staff and DG ISI came in an apparent response to PML-N MNA Ayaz Sadiq’s speech in the National Assembly wherein he insinuated that Pakistan handed Indian pilot Abhinandan Vartaman back to India, in February 2019, ‘under pressure’ of the latter attacking Pakistan.
“I thank God that if the opposition are talking against them (Army Chief, DG ISI) then my decision to select them was right,” he said and added “I must have taken the right decision if the ‘thieves’ are talking against them.”
The prime minister likened the PML-N leader’s comments to the traitorous acts of Mir Sadiq and Mir Jaffer. He said it was traitors like Mir Sadiq and Mir Jaffer who weakened Muslim rulers in the region, who otherwise were known for giving befitting responses to all kinds of challenges. Now we are seeing Pakistan’s Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq in the form of Mir Ayaz Sadiq, he said.
He said the opposition had resorted to a narrative that was damaging to the state all because “I refused to give them an NRO on their corruption”.
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The prime minister said that one of the many reasons Gilgit-Baltistan remained backward was because it was "cut off" from the rest of Pakistan. "Insha'Allah you will see in the coming days, our development plans will go there," he said.
Turning his guns towards India, PM Imran said that the most racist and Hindu supremacist government in history was in power in India. He said that citizenship and registration laws were enacted to target Muslims in the country.
Imran said that he could not stress enough the importance of a strong army for a nation's security. "Pakistan is secure today because of its armed forces," he said. "Our army is the main reason why we haven't suffered the same fate as many other Muslim countries."
He blamed India for promoting sectarian hate in Pakistan, saying that New Delhi was behind fanning hate between the Shia and Sunni sects in Pakistan. The prime minister felicitated Pakistan's intelligence agencies for rendering ineffective India's conspiracies to spread anarchy in the country.
The premier lashed out at the Opposition, saying that so-called democrats in the country were targeting the military and the judiciary. "Those who call themselves democrats have started a programme according to which they are discrediting the country's judiciary and military," he said.
He blamed the Opposition for trying to establish the narrative that general elections 2018 in Pakistan were rigged. After that, the prime minister said, they tried to blackmail him on the economy and the coronavirus situation.
PM Imran accused the Opposition of attempting to blackmail him so he can forgive them for their alleged corruption. "Their interest is against Pakistan's interest and this is happening. All of them have become one," he said.
The prime minister said that since the Opposition cannot blackmail him, they have turned their guns towards the ISI chief. "I thank Allah that they are speaking out against the army chief and the ISI chief. This means I was right in selecting them," he said. "Because if these robbers are speaking out against them then that means these two are correct people."
He said that if one were to study the history of the Muslims of the sub-continent, he/she would realise that Muslims always used to fight with determination. "However, the most damage that was inflicted on the Muslims was through people of their own, their Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs," he said, referring to the Opposition.
"These people are now speaking the language of Narendra Modi. All heads of states congratulated me on the way we handled the Pulwama situation," he said, adding that it was disappointing what Ayaz Sadiq was saying about Abhinandan.
"I want to make it clear right now — Imran Khan will never forgive these dacoits," he said.
Imran Khan said a strong army is indispensable for a country to protect its sovereignty and solidarity.