Global Watch | Why international community must come together to stop Pakistan's exploitation of Gilgit-Baltistan

What is common among Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan? Brutal repression of the common masses who want Pakistan’s illegal occupation to end there. The illegally occupied regions of Jammu and Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), in particular, have seen escalation in violence. The Punjabi-dominated military is brutally putting down any resistance to the exploitative economic policies of the power elite. However, the people of GB aren’t getting deterred anymore by the high handedness and extreme use of force by the Pakistan Army in this region. There are massive protests in GB to stop exploitation of this region by the Pakistan Army and corrupt politicians and bureaucrats that rule roost in Pakistan. One of the key concerns for the original residents of GB is the change in its demographic profile. Shia Muslims were in majority in GB. However, over a period of time the majority is being replaced by an influx of Sunni Punjabis from other parts of Pakistan. According to a 2020 estimate, the population of GB was approximately 1.5 million. Around 39 per cent Shia, 27 per cent Sunni, 18 per cent Ismaili and 16 per cent Nurbakhshi were part of this population. When this region was a part of undivided Jammu & Kashmir, Shia Muslims constituted around 80 per cent of the population. The discriminatory policies of the Pakistani state have been robbing the region of its precious natural resources for decades while putting the starving locals at the mercy of its military. A 2022 report by the International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) revealed that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC), the much-cherished project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, which has already pushed Pakistan towards economic collapse, forcibly wrested the means of livelihood from the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan. This resulted in the latest waves of protest within the region. The report highlighted that while Beijing and Islamabad are “exploiting” GB under the pretext of CPEC, it has put “local’s livelihoods and environmental sustainability” under a grave threat. There have been a series of protests reported across the region against this economic exploitation and deliberate policy of keeping GB underdeveloped and denying it long overdue economic cum political rights. The most recent protests have further intensified in Skardu and other regions due to sectarian strife resulting from a Sunni cleric’s derogatory remarks against a Shia cleric and community. Scattered reports emerging from this region (which has been blacked out in context of releasing any information) have stated that the frustrated and oppressed locals are seeking reunification with the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir which is now a Union Territory in India. The local residents of GB are quite vocal about their desire to reunify with India so that they can live a dignified life. Pakistan has ruled this geopolitically significant region with an iron fist since its creation in 1947. Islamabad didn’t want to let go of the strategic advantage as GB borders Afghanistan and China’s Xinjiang Province. This geostrategic significance has become a bane for locals throughout history, as demonstrated when Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir was forced to lease out Gilgit in 1935 to the British for 60 years. Pakistan and China have constructed the Karakoram Highway through this region, which has strengthened the strategic ties between Beijing and Islamabad, particularly underscored by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship corridor of Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Nonetheless, the pivotal events of 1947, epitomised by the Gilgit Agency Mutiny, bound Gilgit-Baltistan to Pakistan. Since then, this region has been at the epicentre of the broader Kashmir dispute. However, in the evolving geopolitical landscape, marked by China’s growing presence in Gilgit-Baltistan, India has no other option but to reassess its position and carefully monitor these rapidly unfolding developments. The region’s significance continues to evolve and it remains a focal point within the broader geopolitical dynamics of South Asia. It may be recalled that Gilgit-Baltistan has a rich heritage deeply intertwined with Kashmir. Throughout history, all regions within Jammu and Kashmir, including Gilgit-Baltistan, have remained integral parts of the Kashmir Empire. These interconnected cultural, social, and political bonds, both inter and intra-regional, underscore the deep-rooted connections among them. These historical ties affirm the inextricable link between present-day Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including Gilgit-Baltistan, and the broader tapestry of Greater Jammu and Kashmir. India’s stance on Gilgit-Baltistan is firmly rooted in the belief that its continued occupation is illegal. A Resolution in the Indian Parliament in 1994 reaffirmed that both Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir were an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir within India. This stance has long been a point of contention between India and Pakistan. India has been concerned about how Pakistan has surrendered to China by giving the latter free run in its territory. This became even more relevant in the context of Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan’s cession of certain Gilgit-Baltistan territories to China in 1963, coupled with the consequential infrastructural developments, including those under CPEC, is bound to heighten New Delhi’s apprehensions. These developments pose a challenge to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition to these broader concerns, , the need of the hour is to mitigate the devastating impact of Pakistan’s discriminatory policies on the hapless local population of GB. This wouldn’t be an easy task as this would warrant substantive efforts from the international community. India can take a lead in this by bringing the international voices together on this serious issue that demands immediate attention on humanitarian grounds. The fate of GB and a part of Kashmir fell into Pakistan’s hands due to Islamabad’s Machiavellian and military machinations aided by British treachery. It is notable to remember that the region had been leased by the Britishers and secured by the Gilgit Scouts force. With Britishers ending the lease in 1947, they loaned two of their officers – Major W A Brown and Captain A S Mathieson – to Maharaja Hari Singh to oversee the region’s defence until an alternative arrangement could be made. However, as Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India on 26 October 1947, Major Brown revolted and detained GB Governor Brigadier Ghansara Singh. Major Brown then communicated his decision to accede to Pakistan to his former British superior stationed in Peshawar. As such, the region remains under Pakistan’s illegal occupation, violating multiple UN Resolutions, including the UNCIP Resolution of 28 April 1949, as Islamabad controls GB without the consent of locals, despite UNCIP’s calls for the withdrawal of the Pakistan Army from the region. Pakistan has ensured that Gilgit-Baltistan lacks any constitutional status, a functioning legal system, and political autonomy. This is to ensure that Pakistan can continue to control the region through its military. The result is that GB has been effectively transformed into an open-air prison. The region has a distinctive history, with most people having cultural and religious affinity with their counterparts across the LoC in Kargil and Gurez. As such, there have been demands for greater autonomy and political representation to ensure the distinctiveness of people, which Pakistan has denied for seven decades. The locals realise that Pakistan’s only objective is to exploit the region’s most valuable mineral and water resources. At the same time, India’s position on Gilgit-Baltistan has been unequivocal. New Delhi has consistently termed the occupation of GB as unlawful, raising the issue across international forums. It becomes incumbent on the international community to lend a helping hand to the persecuted people of the Gilgit-Baltistan region. India should take the lead in this regard, reasserting its sovereignty over the region as GB is an integral part of India. The efforts of the GB people to attain freedom from the clutches of Pakistan merit compassion, solidarity and, above all, concerted help to ensure the suppression of these people ends and their long overdue political aspirations are realised. The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._

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