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Pakistan: Repression And Phony Elections In Gilgit And Baltistan – Analysis ( Source- Eurasia review / Author- Jai Kumar Varma / South Asia Monitor)

Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Balti Sahib
Source- Eurasia Review

Author- Jai Kumar Varma / South Asia Monitor

Pakistan exploits Shia-dominated Gilgit, Baltistan (GB) as its colony. The area, which is under direct rule of Islamabad, was governed under the repressive Frontier Crimes Regulations till 1975, and even after repeal of this draconian regulation the oppression continued.

The inhabitants of the area are disgusted not only with Pakistan but also with the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) as they point out that residents of POK showed no sympathy towards them when Punjabi- dominated Islamabad subjugated them. Hence, neither do they want to be part of Pakistan nor do they want to be associated with POK.

The inhabitants of the area claim that the Gilgit Baltistan Self Empowerment Package 2009 gave more powers to Islamabad and made the residents more dependent on the central government.

The federal government with the ulterior motive of changing the demography of the area settled large number of Sunni Muslims from Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These migrants captured more than 90 percent of the trade with the connivance of Islamabad.

Chinese and Pakistanis have taken over large swathes of land and are exploring the minerals. The locals have virtually no participation in the exploration and the natural resources are exploited by Pakistanis and the Chinese.

The analysts also state that Pakistan will take possession of the area completely as the Chinese would invest US$46 billion in Pakistan, especially in this region only after they are sure of Pakistan’s sway over it. They also point out that since it is a remote area the despicable Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) would set up training camps for terrorist outfits working under its command.

The election for 24 seats of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, which has a total of 33 seats, was held on June 8 under absolute control of the Pakistani Army. Section 144 was promulgated in the province till June 20, and rallies, use of loud speakers, carrying of weapons were banned. More than 600,000 people participated in the elections and 17 political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and several independents, contested the election.

The ruling PML (N) won 14 of the 24 seats in the assembly elections and emerged as the single largest victorious party. All the political parties alleged that the ruling party had rigged the elections as PML (N) had little influence in the region before the elections. They also claimed that the Pakistani army had not allowed a large number of Shia voters to cast their votes. The ballot boxes were filled with fake votes and women were not allowed to cast votes on flimsy grounds. However, the Chief Election Commissioner stated that there was no rigging and the elections were by and large peaceful.

India registered a strong protest against the conduct of this fraudulent election as GB is part of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. However, Pakistan has rejected the protest alleging that India is interfering in its internal matters.

India baiters, while criticizing India’s principled stand, mentioned that Pakistan should annex all the tribal areas and declare it as the fifth state. Nonetheless, Pakistan is opposing the integration as it feels it will weaken its claim for the entire Jammu and Kashmir. Secondly, although the federal government is realizing taxes from the residents of the area but Islamabad is not spending money on the development of the region.

The region is strategically important as it touches China’s troubled province, Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XAR), on the east and Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, while POK is at the south and also shares the border with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the west. China wants to build an energy corridor so that it can reach the Arabian Sea. This is the reason that though Gilgit Baltistan is part of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan treats it differently than POK.

The locals do not like Chinese projects in the area because China brings all the workforce and hence locals do not get the employment, and secondly they have doubts about the royalty of the minerals explored by Chinese.

The majority population of GB comprises Shias and they are against the recent massacre of Shias by Sunni hard core terrorist outfits. They mention that Pakistani society is becoming more and more radical and several Sunni groups, including Jamat-e-Islami, Lashkar-e-Dawat, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Takfiri groups, hate Shias and they are also facing persecution along with Christians, Ahmadis and Hindus.

The locals want a separate homeland for themselves and refuse to be linked with Kashmiris as there is nothing common between them. They also claim to have rights akin to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, like seats in parliament, state legislature, democratic rights, including freedom of expression, special status, independent judiciary, just to name a few.

The masses of the area reveal that Pakistan is treating GB as its satellite and utilizes the resources without doing any economic development of the area. The central government instead of resolving their problems suppresses them with brutal force. There are few roads, primitive health care, unreliable electricity, and no engineering or medical colleges. In fact the residents of the area are residing in the ancient age.

The Kashmiri separatist leaders like Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yasin Malik and Syed Salahuddin also criticized the recently held elections on the ground that it would dilute the Kashmir issue.

The inhabitants of GB also state that they understood the hollowness of the two-nation theory as Pakistan has exploited and tortured them more than the British. All the religions, including Muslims, are enjoying more rights in secular India than Shias in Sunni-dominated Pakistan.

The alienation of the residents of the area increased manifold when in 1988 General Zia Ul Haq launched a military operation which burnt down more than 25 villages, massacred several hundred innocent Shias, destroyed Shia mosques and Imam Bargahs, resorted to loot, rape and enforced conversions. In fact the atrocities were a replica of the mayhem committed by the Pakistani army in 1971 in erstwhile East Pakistan.

The perception of inhabitants of GB also changed in favour of India when in 1999 Pakistan invaded Kargil in Kashmir and more than 4,000 residents of GB lost their lives because of faulty planning of the Pakistani army; and also that India had not occoupied GB although the Indian army was capable of it.

The analysts state that since all the decisions are taken either by the federal government or Pakistan army hence the local residents have no right to decide their fate. The inhabitants of GB want the democratic rights and power to decide about the welfare of their region. In fact, the Pakistani army controls the area as it is sensitive and strategically important.

The residents of GB are divided into four groups. The first faction wants to merge in Pakistan and claims that GB should be declared as the fifth province. This group is led by recently-settled Sunni Muslims and Islamic fundamentalists who yearn for Muslim Pakistan. The second group wants to become part of Pakistan Occoupied Kashmir; the third group which claims that Pakistan exploited the region and used it as its colony wants to be an independent nation. However, in view of large-scale massacre of Shias, economic exploitation by Islamabad, repression by Pakistani army, a sizable population of GB desires to become part of India. The economic progress and secular credentials of India are also attracting the middle class and literate people of the region.

The local population is fed up with the atrocities of the Pakistani administration. They want India to play a positive role in GB. India must see that Islamic fundamentalism should not enhance in the area, otherwise India will also be a great sufferer. Several residents of the area claim that legally they all are Indians, hence India must come to their rescue. The residents point out that India should not accept the Line of Control (LoC) as the border as whole of Kashmir, including GB, wants to get rid of the brutal rule of Islamabad and would like to become part of India.

India as a policy does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, including Pakistan, hence India should not render any material assistance to the residents of GB. But India should convey the sentiments of the inhabitants of GB and should request Islamabad that they must stop repression there and should develop the area. India can also convey diplomatically to Pakistan that although the residents of the area are very frustrated with Islamabad but India as a policy would not interfere although they are meddling in Jammu and Kashmir.

 About the author- Jai Kumar Verma is a Delhi-based strategic analyst. He can be contacted at editor@spsindia.in

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