GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan Tuesday strongly opposed the federal government’s reported plan to impose taxes in the region and vowed that any additional burden on the poor won’t be allowed.Speaking during the GB Assembly session, he said: “The federal government wants to introduce taxes in Gilgit-Baltistan, but I am opposing it vigorously. I will not allow taxes to be imposed on poor people.”
He said GB was a grant-dependent province with limited resources and multiple challenges. Raising questions over the past relief allocations, he asked, “Where were Rs3 billion given for the 2022 floods spent? A clear explanation must be provided.”
The chief minister acknowledged that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had recently released Rs4 billion for flood-hit families but insisted that “a minimum grant of Rs10 billion was required for complete rehabilitation of the victims.
Earlier, Finance Minister Engineer Muhammad Ismail tabled a resolution on development funds, which was unanimously adopted.
The resolution demanded a 40 percent increase in the annual development budget and called for a special development package for GB.
According to the resolution, GB’s current annual development budget stands at Rs21 billion, while the volume of approved schemes is Rs25 billion.
The resolution warned that due to funding shortfalls, development work could come to a complete halt, with contractors suspending operations.
Separately, the chief minister also addressed compensation for recent flood victims.
He said the provincial government had revised payments, raising compensation for completely destroyed houses to Rs300,000 and for partially damaged homes to Rs150,000.
He added that the heirs of all those who lost their lives in the recent floods would now be entitled to Rs800,000, revising the earlier policy that offered Rs6 million for non-heads of households.
Gulbar directed the home secretary and GB Disaster Management Authority to ensure timely disbursement of compensation before winter and said the government’s proactive planning had enabled smooth rescue and relief efforts.
He added that emergency projects were completed in several areas and that the Planning Department had forwarded fresh recommendations of Rs15 billion to the federal government, in addition to the earlier Rs4 billion, for full rehabilitation.
