Protests by Awami Action Committee (Gilgit Baltistan)
The Awami Action Committee of Gilgit Baltistan, on August 11, 2023, held a protest in the Dambodas Area of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Skardu against the poor infrastructure and bad road conditions prevalent in the area. The local residents took out and unleashed their frustration against the Pakistan government and local administration.
The locals or natives were led by Shabbir Mayar, the General Secretary of the Awami Action Committee of Gilgit Baltistan, against the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and alleged corruption by the organisation during the construction of roads built in Gilgit. The poor conditions of the road were responsible for numerous accidents happening frequently on the Skardu-Juglot Road.
Reason for Protests
According to the locals, the FWO was supposed to create tunnels for the 38km stretch on the Gilgit-Juglot Road. However, the organisation did not complete the designated task due to rampant corruption by the FWO, which caused frequent landslides and accidents in the area.
The members of the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly have launched an investigation in the matter and said and alleged that about a billion rupees provided as funds by the federal government and the non-governmental organisations (NGO) for the flood-affected areas have been misused.
The Impact
According to the Dawn, the flash floods, landslides, and glacial outbursts have caused a series of disasters in the region and have damaged the roads, bridges, water, irrigation channels, cultivated lands and houses.
The local residents have issued an ultimatum to Gilgit Baltistan’s Minister of Tourism, Raja Nasir Ali Khan, till August 15, 2023, to either fix the situation or be prepared to face mass protests and blockage rallies on Baltistan’s Dambodas Bazaar.
Possible Solution
An opposition member named Javed Ali Manwa proposed a motion in the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly on August 8, 2023, to draw attention towards the flood-hit people. He suggested that a parliamentary committee should probe the implementation of the foreign-funded Glof-II at a cost of billions of rupees.
He further enlightened that the installation of early warning systems, organizing seminars in five-star hotels and arranging exposure visits under the project cannot control these disasters.
Instability in the Region
In recent times, the leaders, and the residents of Gilgit Baltistan have criticized the regressive and anti-Gilgit-Baltistan politics of the Pakistani government. They are protesting on a multitude of problems, such as poor infrastructure and the ill-treatment of the Pakistani government and their attitude towards the region.
There are many reasons behind the instability of the province, the first is attributed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its high-handedness. The operational activities of the CPEC is gradually destroying the ecology and the environment of the region. This is also one reason behind the landslides in the area.
Under the banner of CPEC, work has begun on mega dams, oil, and gas pipelines along with uranium and heavy metal extraction. The Chinese companies engaged in the region pay scant attention to the local concerns in this environmentally sensitive region.
The Chinese mega projects are showing an adverse impact on the climate leading to uncontrollable pollution and irreversible depletion of aquatic resources. Geopolitically, Gilgit-Baltistan provides more than half of the river waters used for drinking and irrigation in Pakistan.
The region is well endowed with rich natural resources and mineral wealth, which are worth millions of dollars, but the people of the region face dire poverty due to the indifference of the policymakers towards their plight.
The second reason behind the anger and protests is that the Pakistani government neither wishes to grant the province a full autonomous status nor does it want it to be completely merged into Pakistan.
The third factor is that the Pakistani government is dividing the population on sectarian lines. Militant groups have been specifically planted to specifically target the Shia Muslims.
The Pakistani government is doing nothing for the people of Gilgit Baltistan and is just using the region for its selfish needs. The fresh and current demands of the people are inclined towards independence of the region from Pakistan, but, at the same time, they do not wish to accede to India as well.
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