Sajjad Hussain Kargili
The issue of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan has become one of the central issues between India and Pakistan after the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) became operational. The region of Gilgit and Baltistan remained neglected for decades and has now become the cause for controversy between India and Pakistan after the latter indicated its intention to declare the region as its fifth province. This development ignores the fact that Gilgit-Baltistan remains a part of the Kashmir dispute. At the same time, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been demanding constitutional rights with full autonomy, which has ben accorded to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. However, the Pakistani Government is reluctant to agree as there is pressure from India, which claims this region.
Local leaders and stakeholders in Ladakh region have put forth demands before the current tension boils over into a conflict. In addition to an airport and the Zoji-la tunnel, there are demands for an all-weather road. As part of CPEC, around USD 46 billon will be invested in Pakistan in general and specifically in Gilgit-Baltistan, where several hydro power projects are planned. If and when these projects materialise, Gilgit-Baltistan will become like other parts of China. Experts feel that if India has the option of joining CPEC, then it must do so as membership would help it develop a better relationship with neighbouring countries.
CPEC has already complicated relations between China and Pakistan. In the past their relationship was largely driven by the elite with regard to military and political cooperation. However, this relationship now faces greater scrutiny from the general Pakistani public. The current discourse in Gilgit-Baltistan also suggests growing dissatisfaction with CPEC despite its potential in terms of generating local employment and revenue through electricity generation. Information in this regard is yet to reach ordinary Pakistanis.
So why is China investing so much money in Pakistan? The answer lies in China’s global ambitions. CPEC was originally mooted by Pakistanis but gained momentum only after a new leadership gained control in China in 2012.
The political status of Gilgit-Baltistan remains disputed. In 1994 India had unanimously passed a resolution in Parliament declaring Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir as an ‘integral part of India’. Unfortunately, mainstream politicians and media in India remain ignorant of Gilgit-Baltistan. With the exception of security and intelligence agencies, most people in India are unable to differentiate between Baltistan and Baluchistan.
Earlier Gilgit-Baltistan were known as Northern Areas, which was the term imposed on the region by Pakistan to dilute the unique regional and ethnic identity of the region. In 2009, the then Pakistani government granted temporary federal status to Gilgit-Baltistan. This was opposed by the Hurriyat Conference, which argued that if Gilgit-Baltistan was given provincial status, India would respond by abrogating Article 370 to absorb Jammu and Kashmir.
Political activists and religious persons in Gilgit Baltistan, who do not comply with the dictates of the Pakistani Government or make demands for basic rights have been framed under anti-terrorism laws. Several eminent nationalist leaders from Gilgit-Baltistan have been detained over the years and popular newspapers like Bangesahar have been banned by the Pakistani authorities.
Government of India continues to be in a state of denial with regard to Gilgit-Baltistan. In 2012, a terrorist attack took place in Chilas, Gilgit during which they massacred Shias travelling from Gilgit-Baltistan to Islamabad. Unfortunately, no one in India or even the ri-freedom Hurriyat Conference uttered a word of protest or outrage over this terrorist act. The mainstream political leadership and establishment in India lack a clear vision and policy for Gilgit-Baltistan. They generally use the issue of Gilgit-Baltistan to counterweigh the conflict over Kashmir. It’s about time that India developed a clear policy for Gilgit-Baltistan.
In 2016, the Department of National Security from Jammu University organised a workshop titled Confidence Building Measures: Cross border Trade in Kargil and Leh districts of Ladakh region. After this workshop, a report was submitted to Government of India, which highlighted various issues and made recommendations. According to that report, there are 8,000 divided families in Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh and opening of the Kargil-Skardo and Turtuk-Khapalu roads for trade and travel. The report said, “Except for the cross-border shelling in 1999, Kargil has remained peaceful. However, the Kargil-Skardu trade route (part of the centuries-old Silk Route) has remained closed, while trade on Poonch-Rawalkot and Uri-Muzaffarabad routes remain unaffected despite numerous cross-border violations, firing, and high tensions between India and Pakistan. This situation must be rectified”. So far, Government of India has not responded to this report.
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