Demands GB Governor to return the bill to assembly; Says public land allotments legalized unfairly
GILGIT: The Central Anjuman-e-Imamia of Gilgit-Baltistan has categorically rejected the recently proposed Land Reforms Act 2025, expressing serious reservations and demanding that the Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan refrain from signing the bill. Instead, the organization has called for the bill to be sent back to the legislative assembly for revision, warning of a large-scale public movement if the concerns are not addressed.
This demand was made in a joint high-level meeting of the Anjuman-e-Imamia, presided over by the spiritual leader of the Shia community in the region, Agha Syed Rahat Hussain Al-Hussaini. The meeting was also attended by Anjuman President Syed Sharafuddin Kazmi and other cabinet members.
According to the official statement issued after the meeting, the Anjuman criticized the Act for legalizing all past land allotments dating back to 1986 under Clause X, without making these allotments public. “This provision undermines the very spirit of land reforms and deprives the people of Gilgit-Baltistan of thousands of kanals of land,” the statement said.
The Anjuman emphasized that all land, from mountaintops to riverbanks, belongs to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan under traditional and religious laws. They had hoped the new legislation would cancel past unlawful allotments and declare such lands public property, but instead, the bill appears to entrench existing inequalities.
The statement further demanded that any public lands where government infrastructure has been built without compensation must be regularized by paying affected locals. Additionally, all non-utilized land allotments must be canceled and redistributed to eligible local claimants.
The Anjuman also raised legal and procedural objections to the manner in which the bill was passed, stating that it lacked due legislative process and ignored the amendments proposed by opposition members. It warned that the Act grants excessive powers to the bureaucracy, effectively sidelining elected representatives.
“Under Clause 17 of Chapter X, the bill even strips citizens of the right to challenge administrative decisions in courts, turning elected representatives into mere symbolic figures,” the statement read.
Concluding the press release, the Central Anjuman-e-Imamia strongly rejected the bill and called on the Governor to prioritize public interest by withholding his signature. “Failure to address these concerns will lead to the launch of a strong public resistance movement across the region,” it warned.
