Gilgit: The Gilgit-Baltistan Government is striving for the immediate activation of newly established ‘additional districts’ — Darel, Tangir, Rondu, and Gupis-Yasin — despite non-development expenditures accounting for approximately 70% of the total budget.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan recently chaired a high-level meeting in this regard. During the meeting, he ordered the immediate activation of the newly established administrative units to “enhance governance and service delivery in remote areas”.
The CM instructed the senior member board of revenue (SMBR), secretary law, secretary home, and the police to expedite the delegation of administrative, district magistrate, and collector powers to the additional deputy commissioners (ADCs) and additional superintendents of police (ASPs) posted in these units.
Gulbar Khan said these additional districts would ensure efficient governance, promote economic activities, and improve the quality of life by addressing public issues at their doorstep.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister (SACM) on Information Eman Shah said additional districts fall within the jurisdiction of a fully-fledged district, and ADCs possess all the powers of a deputy commissioner (DC).
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Shah claimed that under the self-governance and empowerment ordinance, the chief minister has the authority to establish additional districts. However, if they were to be designated as full districts, permission would be required from the prime minister, who heads the G-B Council.
When asked about the G-B’s development and non-development budget ratio of 30:70 and concerns that introducing new administrative units might exacerbate the financial situation, he responded that the region’s finances rely on grants from the central government. In contrast, other provinces receive a share from the center, and it is up to the government to manage its finances accordingly.
“You can call it non-development expenditure if we expand unnecessary bureaucratic spending. However, if establishing an additional district or tehsil ensures that a poor person or a widow can access their rights without traveling long distances, then I believe it is justified,” he added.
While addressing concerns that in other provinces, districts typically have much larger populations while in G-B, even small populations receive district status, the SACM explained that G-B’s population is scattered over a vast area. In contrast, towns in other provinces have densely populated areas where all residents of a tehsil live within a 4 to 6-square-kilometer area, minimising travel distances for administrative tasks.
“For example, in G-B, Haramosh is located at the borderline of Gilgit and Skardu. Currently, a poor person must travel over 30 km to reach the tehsil office in Danyore for a minor task. In contrast, in Rawalpindi, people only need to travel about 3 km for similar work,” he added.
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In a recent notification, the Gilgit-Baltistan government appointed ADCs in the newly established additional districts. According to the notification, Anayatullah has been posted as ADC Tangir, Sher Afzal as ADC Gupis-Yasin, Akram Khan as ADC Darel, and Ghulam Ali as ADC Rondu.
In a conversation with HUM News English, G-B former chief minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman preferred full-fledged districts over additional districts, saying that the latter would burden the regional government as they are not approved by the center.
“Gilgit-Baltistan is governed under the governance order, which recognizes only 10 districts. Until new districts are included in the Governance Order, you cannot receive federal support for additional districts,” he added.
“Establishing new districts, providing them with resources, and reducing unnecessary expenditures are separate discussions. But these districts were notified during my tenure,” he said, supporting the establishment of full-fledged districts.
He pointed out that Gilgit-Baltistan covers an area of 28,000 square miles, making it incomparable to other regions of the country. He explained that Gupis-Yasin alone is larger than Pindi Division and Lahore Division, with a scattered population that presents administrative challenges.
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“For that purpose, we proposed the concept of micro-districts. Nawaz Sharif approved the creation of Hunza, Nagar, Shigar, and Kharmang districts. When you compare the development in these districts today with that before 2014, you will see a revolution in infrastructure development. To monitor this progress, you need district administrations,” he claimed.
The former CM said in new districts, it is not necessary to establish all government departments but only the most essential ones, such as Works and Communication, Health, and Education. “When you replace their luxury vehicles with regular cars, the expenditure would remain the same as it was with only 10 districts,” he added.
When questioned about the practicality of cutting down the luxuries of DCs, Hafeez asserted, “It is absolutely possible, and we had presented a complete vision for this during our tenure.”
Advocate Ahsan Ali, Chairman of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) — an alliance of religious, political, and nationalist parties — criticised the introduction of new districts and divisions, saying that it serves the administration and government by tightening their control over the people rather than benefiting the general public.
“The new districts are not a necessity for the people but a need for those in power.”
Discussing the breakdown of the current annual budget, he pointed out that out of the proposed Rs 140 billion budget, the government plans to acquire a Rs 20 billion loan, which seems not possible.
“If we eliminate this Rs 20 billion loan, Rs 120 billion remains, out of which Rs 86.6 billion is allocated for non-development expenditures, and Rs 4 billion is spent on internal security. If we factor in corruption, commissions, and other irregularities, only Rs 10 billion is left for the annual development budget—and even that is misused,” he added.
He argued that under such financial constraints, the people are deprived of electricity, water, healthcare, and education because the government lacks the budget, and these issues are not part of its agenda.
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Ahsan alleged that the police are primarily deployed for the protection of bureaucrats, ministers, and advisors, while the lives, dignity, and wealth of the poor remain at risk. Similarly, he claimed, district administrations are being used to suppress the public rather than serve them.
Taking a jab at what he called a “dummy” Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, Ahsan accused its members of facilitating the neo-liberal agenda of the system.
He asserted that the assembly members support the creation of new districts, tehsils, and police stations solely for political gains.
“We say, keep only three districts, abolish all others, and redirect the saved budget toward public development,” he concluded.