While Pakistan denies fundamental human rights, Gilgit-Baltistan burns.
28 April, Gilgit-Baltistan [PoK] Pakistan has threatened to make it hard for its inhabitants to breathe as Muslim countries across the globe increased their acts of goodwill and practiced Zakat (giving to the poor). Particularly those who speak out against the persecution of the governing institutions, according to The International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS).
Gilgit-Baltistan is in a precarious position, neglected by Pakistan, and CPEC (China) is making inroads, stealing livelihoods from those at the bottom of the pyramid. A societal revolt calling for union with India over the last several months has exacerbated problems with the administration.
Every day, Gilgit-Baltistan’s civil society holds protests to demand economic and political rights for the locals, who are denied even the most fundamental human rights.
The demonstrators are asking for common things like work, power, food, and education, or, in other words, a life beyond poverty, which Pakistan has been unable to provide since it unjustly occupied the area in October 1947.
The citizens have moved to protest state policies surrounding CPEC and Chinese employees, therefore the administration is now attempting to add a political dimension to the problem, according to IFFRAS.
After the government began violently repressing the movement in December 2022, new demonstrations broke out. People who were tired of Pakistan’s relaxed attitude toward them reacted to this in a similar way, rebelling.
They now assert that Pakistan took them away from the freedom they had in Jammu and Kashmir in order to imprison them indefinitely. It was only a political decision to get control of some of the best mineral and water resources in the world; the unlawful takeover was not a valiant action. It was a selfless gesture performed without any consideration for the Kashmiris.
The problem of land grabbing in the area is nothing new. However, the Pakistani government has been working tirelessly to alter the region’s demographics since last year, except this time it is doing it openly.
Due to the requirements resulting from the UN Security Council Resolution on Kashmir and certain assurances provided to the inhabitants of GB by the state of Pakistan, purchasing property in GB is difficult. Pakistan crept into the area under the pretense of developmental projects and extended an invitation to China for a long-term presence, according to IFFRAS.
The area may only be used for the development of military facilities, under the legislation. However, the government has been buying property for the National route Authority and redesigning the Karakorum route using local politicians and thugs.
The tourist industry, which was the primary source of revenue for the populace, has also been absorbed by Pakistan’s economic behemoths. Businesses purchase property in the name of locals and build enormous hotels and infrastructure that cannot compete with the basic necessities of the people of Great Britain.
The public is not pleased with the government’s and businessmen’s cunning strategies. There is a rumor that the government plans to build housing for former military members from mainland Pakistan.
This has further strengthened the claims made by the locals that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate their territory in order to change the demography of Great Britain, according to IFFRAS.
The electrical issue is another serious problem. Although GB is the country’s top generator of energy, everyone else in the country receives power from its hydroelectric facilities. The villagers claim that the government has been taking their resources and properties. The British government’s electricity supply was shut off this winter for approximately 20 hours every day.
Britain used to heat its homes by burning scrap during the worst winters. Later, the administration even raised power costs.
While the natives, who are the real landowners, live in misery, Chinese laborers cover up all large projects and even obtain pay raises. People from Punjab and other provinces quickly enter the workforce, do subpar labor, get interim profits, and then quickly go, leaving the people of Great Britain to deal with unfinished projects, health risks like open mines, and other issues.
In other words, unless it’s for their own personal interest, Pakistan won’t let GB operate on its own or develop the area. For more than 70 years, Pakistan has pushed the boundaries and tried the patience of the people of Great Britain. The study stated that their mistreatment had been sustained for far too long.
