Gilgit-Baltistan's 14-member caretaker cabinet takes oath 

Gilgit (Web Desk): Gilgit-Baltistan’s interim administration formally took shape on Monday as a 14-member caretaker cabinet was sworn in, ending weeks of anticipation nearly five weeks after the appointment of the caretaker chief minister.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Governor’s House in Gilgit, where Speaker of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Nazir Ahmed Advocate, acting as caretaker governor, administered the oath to the newly appointed ministers and advisers.

The caretaker cabinet includes 12 ministers and two advisers, among them one woman. Justice (retd) Yar Mohammad had already assumed office as caretaker chief minister on November 26 last year, but the full cabinet was announced after a delay of one month and seven days.

On January 2, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, in his role as chairman of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council, approved the 14-member caretaker cabinet on the recommendation of the caretaker chief minister.

As per the notification issued in this regard, the new caretaker ministers includes Sajid Ali Baig, Maulana Sarwer Shah, Ghulam Abbas, Syed Adil Shah, Engr Altaf Husain, Abrar Ismail, Mehar Daad, Sharafuddeen, Raja Shehbaz Khan, Mumtaz Husain, Dr Niaz Ali, and Bahadur Ali.

Alongside them, two advisors—Syed Fatima and Abdul-Hakeem—have also been named to the cabinet.

The caretaker arrangement will continue to manage the region’s affairs until a new government is formed following the next Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections. The previous provincial cabinet had been formally dissolved after the assembly completed its term on November 24 last year.

Gilgit-Baltistan last went to the polls on November 15, 2020, with elections held in all 24 constituencies.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formed the government at that time, and Khalid Khurshid was elected chief minister. However, his tenure came to an end in July 2023 when the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court disqualified him from office.

In the wake of his removal, a coalition government was formed by a dissident PTI group in coalition with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), leading to the election of Haji Gulbar Khan as the region’s chief minister.