Assembly status for NALC demanded

23 August 2004
The Dawn
Our Correspondent

Gilgit: The Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) has demanded its re- designation as Northern Areas Legislative Assembly before the forthcoming general election scheduled for October in the region. Speaker Haji Sahib Khan made this demand on behalf of the house while concluding the budget session. The proposed assembly will have the right to choose its leader of the house (i.e NAs chief executive) and powers to prepare annual budget of the region like other provincial assemblies in the country. The speaker, while giving his ruling on various points raised by legislators, said proper share from the sales tax collected at Sust customs checkpoint must be given to the Northern Areas on the pattern of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A NAB court, he said, had already been established in the region, therefore related cases must be tried in the Northern Areas.