The Speaker’s Office of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly has issued a statement refuting reports of financial irregularities circulating in various media and social media platforms. The statement declared these reports as baseless and unfounded.
According to the statement, all employees of the Civil Secretariat were benefiting from the Secretariat and Incentive Allowances after the approval of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. Subsequently, the Assembly’s Finance Committee approved these allowances for the employees of the Assembly Secretariat.
The statement further clarified that the Finance Department issued a letter to the AG Office on March 10, 2025, and the Services Department issued another letter on March 11, 2025. These letters were used by various media houses and social media platforms as the basis for allegations of financial irregularities. The Speaker’s Office dismissed these reports as unverified and baseless, stating that they unjustly defame the Secretary of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, which is not only incorrect but also regrettable.
The Speaker’s Office suggested that the Finance and Services Departments may have misunderstood the situation or were not fully aware of the existing laws of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. It was emphasized that all administrative and financial powers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly are vested in the Finance Committee under the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 and the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business 2017.
The statement highlighted that the Finance Committee of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, as per routine, approved the increase in allowances for the Assembly Secretariat employees and issued legal notifications in this regard. The AG Office implemented these notifications, fulfilling its legal responsibilities.
The statement also stressed that the Finance Department does not have the authority to declare the Assembly’s legal notifications as illegal or to issue letters to halt their implementation. If such powers were granted to subordinate departments, the parliamentary system would be reduced to a mockery. Therefore, the Finance Department should operate within its jurisdiction.
The statement expressed concern that the Finance Department not only misinterpreted the laws but also attempted to create misunderstandings between higher authorities and constitutional institutions. Furthermore, under the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 and the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly is an autonomous institution, with all financial and administrative powers vested in the Speaker of the Assembly and the Finance Committee.
The statement made it clear that no department is authorized to make unjustified deductions from the salaries of Assembly employees or to conduct any form of inquiry. Such actions would be considered a violation of the privileges of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and its standing committees, and legal action would be taken against them.
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