By Shabbir Ahmed Mir

GILGIT: President Asif Ali Zardari’s announcement at Naudero on Sunday that a woman would be appointed as governor of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has shocked the people here as it is contrary to what the authorities in the Prime Minister office had been saying for the past couple of weeks.

On Thursday night, the name of a prominent banker of Gilgit-Baltistan, Sher Jehan Mir, was repeatedly flashed on various TV channels as the likely first governor of GB. A number of newspapers also carried the report as their lead story the next day. Sources claim that Sher Jehan Mir had held a meeting with the high-ups in Islamabad. They also claim that he is likely to meet the prime minister in a day or two.

The chief minister of GB, Mehdi Shah also gave assurance the other day that a local man would be the governor of GB, but the Sunday’s speech has smashed all such hopes. The speech aroused scepticism and despondency in GB where people criticised President Zardari for ignoring PPP stalwarts’ recommendations for the appointment of governor, saying he is bypassing his party’s leadership while deciding matters of national importance.

A senior lawyer flayed the lack of coordination between the prime minister and the president. “It isn’t less than a joke that one authority declares some one as governor while another nominates some one else,” he observed.
Source: The News
Date:12/28/2009