Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Gilgit Baltistan: People want to see action, not words

 Gilgit Baltistan: People want to see action, not words

SKARDU:
Chairman Gilgit-Baltistan United Movement (GBUM) Manzoor Hussain Parwana has said that until the federal government took practical steps to eliminate corruption and bring all the corrupt elements to justice, the PML-N leaders' claims about the issue will remain an eyewash. He said that the visit of the federal minister for Gilgit-Baltistan affairs Birjees Tahir to the region and his claims and promises seemed to the start of a war of power between his party and the PPP government of the region.
Parwana said that the decision of the minister and the chief secretary to launch probes into corruption allegations was a welcome step but the people of the region wanted action not words, he said in a statement. The GBUM leader also said that the PPP government consisted of a group of corrupt people and seemed that the new PML-N government had decided to protect the group, creating further sense of deprivation among the people of the region. Besides, this lacklustre attitude of the rulers is leading to further increase in corruption. He welcomes the decision of the federal government to take action against illegal appointments during the last about four years but said that process should be transparent and across the board.
He said the new chief secretary should start his proceeding from where his predecessor Younus Hotiana had left it. Mr Parwana also demanded that the 3,000 illegal appointments made in the education department should be declared null and void and new hiring should be made in a transparent manner keeping in view merit. He regretted that the region was being made a beggar area due to the incompetency of the rulers.
 He said that the working of the government had come to a complete halt and the government was even not able to pay salaries to the employees and the outstanding bills of the contractors.