The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed amendments to the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 to facilitate the new elections in the region, which means the polls in the region will now be held under an interim setup, 24NewsHD TV channel reported.

A seven-member bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed was hearing a petition filed about the elections and setting up an interim government in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The term of the current 33-member Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly is to end on June 24.

The apex court issued a short order after the hearing as the detailed verdict would be shared later.

During the proceedings, the Gilgit-Baltistan advocate general said they did not have any objection over the petition filed by the federal government.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan remarked that the entire problem would be solved if the Election Act 2017 was extended to Gilgit-Baltistan.

When the chief justice asked about the Election Commission, the attorney general replied that body already existed in the region.

Justice Umar Atta Bandial observed that the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 was in place as per the court orders.

It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court on Jan 17, 2019, had passed the judgment directing the federal government to promulgate proposed order pertaining to the status, authority and powers of Gilgit-Baltistan, including the judiciary and the rights available to its people forthwith or within fortnight.

However, the PTI government despite the lapse of one year and three months has not implemented the court orders.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan remarked that they would clarify the procedure to hold elections in the detailed judgment.

The government should issue the election order through the president on the basis of the solutions suggested in the detailed verdict, Justice Bandial noted.

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