#POJKFacts How Pakistan is looting Gilgit-Baltistan: An illegally occupied region of Jammu and Kashmir

 

Gilgit-Baltistan is that region of Jammu and Kashmir that was usurped by Pakistan in 1947 and it is still occupying the region illegally. The entire region is formed by amalgamating Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan district and several small former princely states, the larger of which being Hunza and Nagar. Gilgit-Baltistan is spread in the area of around 72,971 sq. km. and lies amidst towering mountains and it contained eight of the world’s highest mountain peaks apart from Mount Everest and Kanhchanjunga. During 1970s Pakistan renamed this territory that it has occupied illegally, as ‘Northern Areas’. Pakistani media and administration calls it ‘Northern Areas’ in violation of UN resolution on Kashmir. Pakistan has been plundering this region of its vast resources and potential for the benefit of Pakistan and the local people are deprived of the benefits.

 

 

Gilgit-Baltisan has abundance of natural resources yet it is one of the most backward regions in the entire South Asia. The region is deprived of basic amenities, as facilities like electricity, drinking water and basic healthcare are virtually non-existent here. More than 85% of the population of this region are below the poverty line and Government offered jobs and joining defence related institution remain their only source of livelihood. The local people who join government services are paid 25% less than non-natives of Punjab province.

 

 

 

Tourism: Tourism was the lifeline of this region before Pakistan did nuclear test and 9/11 added fuel in the already ravaging tourism industry. Also, whatever meager amount is earned through tourism in the region, it is generally siphoned off by Pakistan. According to one estimate over Rs 4.5 billion are annually earned by Pakistan through tourism yet not a single penny is paid to this region. The foreign mountaineers, who visit Pakistan to scale the challenging peaks like K2 (28,250 feet) 5 pay around Rs 7 to 8 million per team to Pakistan but even the friction of this money does not reach the people of this region. This clearly reveals how Pakistan is using this region for the benefit of its own people whereas the gullible people of this region do not get benefited.

 

Mineral Resources: The region has abundance of mineral resources, precious metals and important radioactive materials. Gilgit-Baltistan has huge reserves of gold and gold mines. Before 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir used to get tribute in the form of gold dust from vassal states. But the sheen of the past is fading away since; the Pakistan occupied this region and started plundering it. The joint report of Australian Agency for International Development (AUAID) and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) mentioned that there are 1,480 gold mines in this area, out of which 123 have ore where the gold content is much higher than the world famous gold mines of South Africa. Pakistan Government is planning to extract this gold with the help of AUAID and went into a tripartite agreement. As per the agreement AUAID will get 54% share, PMDC 23% and the remaining 23% will go to Ministry of Kashmir and Northern Areas Affairs (KANA), Government of Pakistan and Pakistan Administration in Gilgit-Baltistan. The mine owner of the region would get nothing out of it though they must have been the first beneficiaries of this agreement. But Pakistan is self-centric nation hence; it is not bothered about the local development of Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

 

Water Resources: The region has snow laden mountain peaks that ensure enormity of water resources here though the region itself is rain deficit. But the nefarious activities of Pakistan are destroying this region. Pakistan has erected Tarbela Dam in Gilgit-Baltistan that has destroyed thousands of acres of fertile land in the region but Pakistan Government pays a royalty of Rs 6.5 billion to North West Frontier Province (NWFP) whereas the actually affected people of this region did not get anything. Also, the hydroelectric potential of the region is not used for local use. Moreover, Pakistan is planning to build mega dams at Skardu and Bhasha that will inundate millions of acres of land to provide cheap electricity to Pakistan. Though the proposed dam at Bhasha will impact 32 villages, having combined population of 26,000 and thousands of canals of agriculture land, of Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan yet the major portion of royalty will go to NWFP because the dam will affect Bhasha village, which houses only 1% of the entire affected population falling in NWFP, and as per Article 161(2) of Pakistan Constitution the royalty must go to the province where the station is situated. The same logic has not been applied in case of Tarbela Dam that was constructed in Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

Other Natural Resources: Thick forest of Dardistan province of Gilgit-Baltistan covers around 11,000 hectares of land, which are the major source of timber and the Government of Pakistan earns revenue of more than Rs 1.5 billion annually, even after the corrupt Pakistani official misappropriation of funds. But the actual owners of the timber get a meager amount of royalty and denied traditional usage of forest products. Exotic wild animals and birds like Markhors Markopolo, sheep, snow leopards, oxen, snow bears, eagles, vultures, red leg partridges etc. are also found in this region and the Pakistan government earns an approximate income of Rs 1 billion from wildlife. Pakistan military and civil officers also hunt these rare animals and birds and smuggle then to Arab Sheikhs to earn petro dollars. Yet the development of this region has not taken place. The frequent use of detonators by Pakistan military officers and civil officers has ravaged the fisheries in this region and many of the species are becoming extinct.

 

Other Sources of Revenue: Pakistan is linked to China through Gilgit-Baltistan and the 857 k.m. Karakoram Highway (KKH) has been constructed for this purpose without pay anything to the local affected people. Moreover, Shaksgam Valley, which is spread in an area of 6475 sq.km. of land, was illegally given to China by Pakistan, for getting China’s assistance in building KKH. China wants to link up Gwadar to Gilgit and it has constructed a dry port at Sust of 140 km North of Gilgit. Now, the Pakistan Government is planning to make further extension and realigning the Karakoram Highway that will enable its access to the port to facilitate exports from Chinese factories located in north-western China. Pakistan will earn billions of dollars from this highway. Also, Pakistan receives military equipment from China through KKH but no royalty is paid to the local people. Pakistan earns an approximate Rs 3 billion annually by way of customs duty at Sust Custom check post in Hunza though it is not allowed to do so from a land that it has occupied illegally. Indirect taxes of approximately 2.7 billion annually earned by Pakistan from this region and the direct taxes are imposed by it on the local people living on this land that was illegally occupied by Pakistan.

 

 

 

Though Pakistan Government claimed that it has increased the allocation for this region by 183% in the past five year yet nothing of that sort can be seen on the ground. The people do not have the access to the court hence; they could not get redressal of their grievances. The indifferent bureaucracy, Pakistan based political leadership, oppressive Pakistan Army has put this region onto a turbulent path that seems less difficult to change given the attitude of Pakistani establishment. Democratic development is not the priority of Pakistan and the same was reflected in Gilgit-Baltistan, which Pakistan has been using like its colony. Even the recent Belt and Road Initiative between China and Pakistan is benefitting either China or Pakistan whereas it is not benefitting the Gilgit-Baltistan though this region is badly affected by it.