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region. Some consider this the region as a part of Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa, while
the others place it in Kashmir, so much so that even. Even the Government of
Pakistan is not sureappears unsure about the status. While it has it has a high
profile presence in the area and is administered directly by the Federation, the
stated position of the government is that GBit is not part of Pakistan but is in fact,
a disputed territory. There is an obvious contradiction in the stance of the
government, for t. The people of these areas have no neither linguistic nor ethnic
connection with Kashmir or Jammu. It appears that the oOccupation of this region
by a hostile state is the basis for this stance.
Despite the demand of the indigenous people for integration within Pakistan,
no steps have been taken to address this vital issue. Resultantly, whenever
elections are held for electing representatives to a local assembly that is
essentially a local government- level institution, the people tend to align
themselves with the government of the day in the hope of getting their identity as a
Pakistanis.
This is an identity for which they not only opted voluntarily but also for which they
struggled courageously and successfully in their ouster of the Dogra rulers. for
which they had opted voluntarily after a valiant struggle against the Dogra rule.
When Pakistan came into existence on the world map, the people of this region
saw an opportunity to change their destiny and become part of a Muslim state.
Every one unanimously decided to join Pakistan after liberating this vast region
afterUnanimously in favour of joining Pakistan, they engaged the Dogras, taking
on a brutal and long drawn out two year battle of two years against a well
organizedwell-organized and ruthless army. After the formal accession, the The
people thought they had become Pakistanis. after the formal accession. To their
dismay, they found discovered that they had been relegated to an adjunct of
Frontier province. Worse yet, but worse had yet to come when t their fate was
sealed further by the infamous 1951 Karachi Pact between Government of
Pakistan and Sardar Ibrahim, a Muslim Congress Kashmiri leader who did not
represent this area and had nothing to do with the region. This pact handed over
the administration of this vast region to Government of Pakistan.
Initially in the prevailing confusion about the status of the area, it was administered
by the Frontier Province, which . The provincial government promptly posted a
junior civil servant as the Political Agent of the area.
insignificant changes were made in this Legal Framework Order till 2009.
Pakistan People Party again addressed the issue and promulgated an
Empowerment Order giving the region its identity of Gilgit-Balstistan with a
Governor and Chief Minister. In this order dueDue to bureaucratic resistance for
towards devolvingdelegating the powers, Pakistan People Party did not gocould
not go far enough. However, but admittedly it was a giant step in mainstreaming
the area with itsand conferring its own distinct identity. Offices of Governor and
Chief Minister also gave an impression that the area had become the fifth province
of Pakistan.
During all these years while the social sectors were neglected, the
intervention of Aga Khan Foundation, Marafie Foundation and many other NGOs
were nurturinghelped to nurture a silent revolution in GB except with reference to
a small pocket in the educational sector and poverty alleviation. Today one comes
across many villages in the remotest corners of the area with 100 % literacy rate.
This development has naturally brought political awareness, and we now hear
strong voices for raised in the bid for constitutional rights. With KKH their exposure
to the outside world and inter-action with the people from various parts of
Pakistan, these voices aare becoming stronger. While The people of GB have
their sympathies with the population of sympathize with the populace of occupied
Kashmir, and have acceptedaccepting all flawed governance arrangements
imposed upon themselves so as not to disturb debunk the myth that devolving
powers to GB will weaken the Kashmiri cause. However, giving them rights will
compromise the Kashmir cause but when they see discrimination even in the
empowerment of two disputed territories i.e. AJK & GB, they rightly question the
wisdom of denial of theirbeing denied their constitutional rights in the name of the
Kashmiri cause.
For the people of GB, it was never disputed in dispute that it was part of Pakistan
and continues to be the only choicethat this was so by choice. The UN Resolution
regarding disputed territoriesy as well as the decision of the Supreme Court of
Pakistan enjoins Government of Pakistan to give them the people of GB complete
autonomy. The demand was is so strong that every national political party that
participated in the recent local assembly elections has made a firm commitment as
part of their its manifesto to settle this issue of constitutional rights and formal
integration of the area in Pakistan conclusively.
The settlement of constitutional issue and the merger of this area is the
crucial challenge. If under the influence of myopic thinking of bureaucracy the
Government again tries to postpone it, then there will be strong reaction that can
in this highly sensitive area but will also will compromise the economic corridor
projects as well as dismantle the dream ofthereby putting paid to the dreams of
clean and affordable energy for the country. Such dDisturbance will alsofurther
make it difficult to execute the water storage at Diamer. The pPeople have spoken
through their vote, and it is time to stop testing their patience. It will indeed be an
epic tragedy, if the denizens of GBbe tragic if they, after years of enduring political
shortchanging and attendant disempowerment, finally
solutions of their problems through a political and democratic process with very
serious outcome for the entire country.democratic solutions in favour of potentially
lethal agitation and dissent.