Chapter 3 continues…

The acts of violence in Gilgit area are indicative of the damage being done to Northern Areas in the absence of any genuine democratic and constitutional mechanism to solve their problems. The continued denial of a say in the governance of the region and unabashed exploitation of the resources of the region without showing any concern for its harmful effects on the local population has led to severe estrangement of the population with the ruling elite in Islamabad.

Such announcements have naturally caused widespread anger in the region and has increased the alienation of the population but the feelings and aspirations of the people of Northern Areas have never mattered to the ruling elite in Islamabad, which often treats the region as a colony. Pakistani elite, which habitually complain about the alleged violation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir, rarely raise a voice in support of the exploited population of the Northern Areas.

In the Pakistani scheme of things, the Northern Areas have an extremely ambiguous constitutional position and its status has never been defined in international law. It is neither a province of Pakistan nor a sovereign state; it is just a “local authority” to manage territory occupied by Pakistan. In fact, since its accession to Pakistan, the people have been denied the right to vote for their own representatives and have been governed by administrators from Islamabad.

The frequent sectarian violence triggered in Northern Areas has continued to rock the region that was once known for its tranquillity. Even the vital Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan to China was sometimes blocked. The spontaneous reaction to the killings was indicative of the simmering discontent within the populace of Northern Areas. Government officials, including those of Army, Northern Light Infantry and police, have been identified and murdered while travelling in buses in areas falling under the control of rival sects.

To be continued…