As Pakistan disintegrates, India should take control of PoK

With November 15 – the election date for the legislative assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) – drawing near, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan paid a visit to the occupied territory and made an announcement that could best be described as a bribe to garner support for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party which is already struggling to find suitable candidates as most of those who were refused tickets are now contesting against PTI as independents.

Khan choosing November 1 as the date for this visit seemed intentional. It was on November 1, 1947 that Major William Alexander Brown staged a coup against the legitimate ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh and arrested his appointed governor Ghansara Singh. The imperial governor agreed to surrender at gunpoint only after he was threatened with the massacre of local Hindu and Sikh communities.

Addressing a public gathering comprising mostly of government servants and military soldiers dressed as locals, Khan announced that GB is being granted provisional provincial status. Later, after facing an enormous backlash and opposition from Pakistan occupied Kashmir's leaders accusing Khan of meddling in the elections, the caretaker Chief minister had to issue a statement that the PM had made no such statement and was visiting GB as his personal guest. However, the local media has already extensively reported the comments made by the cricketer-turned politician.

Contradictory statements issued on behalf of the caretaker CM and also the PM are in open breech of the rules set by the Election Commission. Ali Amin Gandapur, the Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, has also delivered a speech in Astore in GB on November 5 declaring that if the locals help PTI win, then the government will invest Rs four billion in development projects in GB. How low can this 'elected' government stoop to?

Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz's Vice-President Maryam Nawaz also made similar promises to the people of GB during their rallies. All Nawaz spoke about was 'vote ko izzat do' (give respect to the vote) instead of highlighting the plight of the locals.

The elections in GB are illegal. It is an Indian territory recognized by a United Nations' resolution and currently under illegal occupation of Pakistan since November 1, 1947. Any investment, be it for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) or otherwise, stands no legal ground and will become null and void as soon as the territory is returned to the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava has made it clear that, "The Government of India firmly rejects the attempt by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation."

Pakistan is facing a crisis of governance which is a direct result of the interference in the economic and political sectors by the military establishment under the direct control of its Generals. The tussle between the parliament and the military establishment over CPEC and other developmental projects has been the cause of perpetual halt in the economic growth of the country. Today, Pakistan's GDP growth has crashed and there seems to be no solution in sight. Any sort of economic recovery is a far fetched dream as the warring Pakistan Democratic Movement and the Imran Khan-led PTI government take on each other.

There has been a sudden increase in militancy in Balochistan and situation is no different in Waziristan and Sindh. Add the dissatisfaction in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan seems a country that is fast disintegrating fast. Under the present circumstances, it becomes vital for the Indian government to urge the world community that Pakistan must vacate all territories held illegally. A good signal to the international community, and to the people living under the occupation of Pakistan, would be to nominate PoK and GB political representatives to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and other public representative bodies in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. India must take the case of PoK and GB to the doorstep of every household in the region and GB by starting a dialogue with the locals and those living in exile for decades.

<em>(Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoK. He currently lives in exile in the UK)</em>.