G-B is again declared as part of Kashmir?
Ali Ashraf Khan
The handling of the Gilgit-Baltistan election which came as a result of
the much trumpeted Gilgit and Baltistan autonomy package announced on 29
August 2009, the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order
2009, was passed by the Pakistani cabinet and later signed by the
President. It gave self-rule to the people of the former Northern Areas,
now renamed “Gilgit-Baltistan,” by creating, among other things, an
elected legislative assembly, a Chief Minister, an acting Governor. This
made the local population jubilant, while the PPP aim was to justify
their victory. The Prime Minister further went on to say: “You are
getting your identity today. It is your right and has been your demand,
and today we are fulfilling it.”
Gilgit-Baltistan before known as this northern area of Pakistan is a
self-liberated area which before 1936 was ruled by the Dogra Maharaja of
Jammu and Kashmir who then leased this area to British. When the
partition plan of India approved by British parliament and the King was
implemented Lord Mountbatten the new Governor General on 15th August
1947 returned this territory back to Dogra ruler, who appointed
Brigadier Ghansara Sing as his Governor in Gilgit with the connivance of
Col Beacon Methewson and Major Brown. The people of this strategically
important region revolted against the autocratic Dogra ruler and carved
out a “Republic of Gilgit”, on Nov 1, 1947. When Col. Hassan Khan and
Capt Babar had captured the Gilgit Residency in which the Governor was
killed, the warriors in Baltistan had by then taken full control over
all the strategic passes on Kargil-Laddakh sector to cut the only Indian
communication link with Kargil & Laddakh district till the time
Pakistani army under command of Major General Jillani took over and
advanced further deep into the Muslim area of Kargil. In 1951 Paddam
Parri, Zojilla Pass and other areas were vacated by Pakistan Army on the
coming into force of UN Ceasefire Resolutions on Kashmir, which were
passed on the assurance of Pundit Nehru to withdraw troops and hold
plebiscite in Kashmir. The local people of Gilgit & Baltistan have
always contrary to this view that Northren Area is a disputed territory
considered themselves a part of Pakistan as a result of Karachi Pact of
1951, not only the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, but also the
international institutions such as the UN, EU, etc., have always upheld
that the rule of Maharaja Harisingh over Gilgit & Baltistan as a
colonial occupation had ended with the success of ‘Jang-i-Azadi
Gilgit-Baltistan’ on November 1, 1947, when the last governor of the
state of Kashmir Brigadier Ghansara Singh and his associates were killed
in the war between Gilgit Scouts and Dogra forces.
This had ended the century long Kashmiri rule over the Gilgit-Baltistan
region with hundreds of refugees from Kargil were repariated to Skardu
as IDP’s, who have multiplied in number and are living in sub-human
conditions in Rawal pindi, Lahore nd Karachi, the were given
representation in AJK Legislative Council in K. H. Khurshid government
in 60’s but have now been ignored in this empowerment plan. Then, a new
independent state called ‘Islamic Republic of Gilgit’ was established
with Shah Raees Khan as its President and after 14 days of its existence
it had affiliated itself with Pakistan, which was given legal cover in
1951 under Karachi pact to merge with Pakistan as a separate entity,
independent of Kashmir.
This should have settled the fate of this territory whose people had
fought and died for the sake of joining Pakistan but given the situation
that the Kashmir question was negotiated before the UNSC on the request
of India Pakistan later on was hesitant to incorporate Gilgit &
Baltistan fully into Pakistan to give constitutional rights to its
population. In 1974 Z.A. Bhutto had been persuaded to cease this
injustice to those people and to give Northern Areas the status of a
province of Pakistan. He even had arrived in Gilgit with his entourage
in order to announce this good news to the people, but then in the last
moment he bogged down to the Foreign Office advise, which was afraid
that such a step could endanger the status of the Kashmir dispute and
again, the people were left in the lurch. The so-called autonomy package
of 2009 did not change this situation any better except to distract
public attention to win votes for PPP.
That is why PPP coalition partners in Pakistan have alleged massive
rigging in these elections and called it “old wine in new bottles”. Now
when elections are over let us not keep the people hostage to this
62-year-old idea it is high time now to give credit to ground realties
and do justice to the region and the people. For the information of our
Prime Minister and his government the people of Gilgit and Baltistan are
not Kashmiris; they are a colourful mixture of many tribes and
ethnicities speaking languages as different as Burushaski, Shina, Balti,
Wakhi, Pashto and different dialects. They have ethnic relations to
China, Ladakh, Tadshikistan, Afghanistan; others have lost their
affiliations with their places of origin from where they had come along
the silk route centuries ago. There is no reason why they should not be
made a full part of Pakistan if they wish so. But that is a decision
that would need a strong and democratically minded government in
Islamabad, something which we definitely lack.
Nevertheless, after 62 years of a rather colonial attitude of Pakistan
towards the people of Gilgit and Baltistan who were denied
socio-economic development, roads, schools, health care and political
rights by the country of their choice they still opted to take whatever
little the Gilani package was offering to them and they enthusiastically
participated in the election. This time also the political parties of
Pakistan did not spare any effort during the election campaign to make
their influence felt. One asks the question, what is actually the legal
basis for Pakistani parties operating in a territory which does not
officially belong to Pakistan? People here are already facing hard time
under below freezing temperature that recently given PPP Empowerment and
self governance carpet was quickly rolled back when Prime Minister
Gillani loudly announced on the floor of National Assembly in response
to MQM’s rightful protest on rigging in Gilgit Baltistan elections that
this area is a part of Kashmir. Whatsoever will be the future out come
of such a U-Turn, when PPP has engineered majority to form its
government by publicly announcing a new development package to win
votes, which is an act of breaking all rules of conduct in holding free
and fair elections and which as a consequence has rendered the whole
exercise questionable well before the first vote was cast. The rigging
did not stop at that; it went on in all the constituencies were
more-loyal-than-the king bureaucrats were stuffing polling boxes.
The electoral rolls were manipulated until the last moment and new names
added for whom votes could be given and stuffed into the boxes. Since
the day of the elections the people of Gilgit and Skardu are up in arms
and the Pakistani parties who had been campaigning very hard and
invested a lot of money are shouting ‘foul’. But actually this state of
affairs should not surprise anybody; this is what is expected. The PPP
is famous for rigging elections and its founding father Z.A. Bhutto lost
his government because of rigging 1977 elections to muster three fourth
majority to amend constitution into presidential form. Now the party
under the leadership of his son-in-law is facing a similar situation
with a status-quo cabinet. One wished the consequences would not follow
suit in the same way as in 1977 to derail democracy as of now it looks
that the War of Terror is being shifted into Pakistan under a changed
geo-political environment due to short falls of our foreign policy
during last decade. National unity is the only need of the hour, we need
strongly committed sincere and honest leadership to steer the nation out
of this Morass instead of stretching individual party power base and
celebrating election victory.
|
