Dissent in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region
Fida Khan Fida should not have shoved the PIA official with his hand. It is a criminal offense to assault any individual. Therefore, I categorically condemn the highhandedness of Fida Khan, who is our Minister for Culture.
Nevertheless, since hooliganism and fighting are parts of our “culture”, the Minister, being our representative, didn’t surprise many of us, even if we detested his action.
We, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, like fighting, be it over religion, sect, dance, polo, football or some other sport. In any of our streets, you might across a local wannabe “Daada”, looking at you with his fiery and piercing eyes, groaning and roaring, trying to intimidate you, for no apparent reason.
A friend once told me a joke about a common goon, who may very much try to hit a moving Suzuki (public transport vehicle) in the Bazar with his shoulder, if he doesn’t find any other reason, or person, to pick a fight.
Aurangzeb Khan, being a lawyer and Law minister, even if ceremonial in the grand scheme of things, should have known better. He should have known the airport safety and security rules, and desisted from joining the waistcoat-and-luggage-burning party. But, hey, who cares for safety and security, when the “mountain spirit”, getting strength from the gushing torrents and chilly winds, raises its head like a phoenix from the ashes!
The protest, which captured the national imagination, started after a Gilgit-bound flight was first delayed for 4 hours, and later cancelled, because of the weather that perpetually remains intemperate, like the mood of the beloved.
The spectacles are grisly, but there is a need to delve deeper and understand the situation, while, of course, condemning the violence and uncivilized protest; the underlining issues need reflection and solutions.
The question that we need to ask ourselves is, is this an isolated incident? Or is it part of a growingly visible trend of “resistance”?
Why are the people of Gilgit-Baltistan frustrated, and angry?
Why did the people of Gilgit-Baltistan hate the former Chief Secretary, Babar Hayat Tarrar, after he taunted some local activists for “not paying taxes”? Why is his departure from the region being celebrated?
Why is there a protest every now and then, attended by thousands, over issues like ownership of land and resources, imposition of taxes, withdrawal of subsidies, to name a few.
It cannot be a coincidence.
There are strong undercurrents, causing the ripples, for now, on the surface.
PIA, despite of charging exorbitant fares, keeps failing in delivering services according to the wishes of the people. The 50-minute flight to Gilgit costs around 14,000 rupees, for one side. This cost may not be anything for the Richie rich, but for a common GBian, this might be 30 or 40 percent of his monthly income. Why do they choose to fly, if they can’t pay, you may ask! Well, why not? What other comfortable options are available?
Every Prime Minister, or every Federal Minister for KANA/KAGB, and every other parliamentarian of note, for the last 30 years since I remember, have promised to give Gilgit-Baltistan an “all-weather” aerial transport system. From Benazir to Musharraf, and Jamali to Abbasi, all have been selling the dream of international airliners landing in Skardu, if not Gilgit, someday. The “expansion” of Gilgit airport has been promised by all and sundry as many times as the numbers of small and large glaciers in our beautiful, but neglected, region.
None of these leaders, forced or chosen, have followed up on their promises. The PIA service has perpetually been in a downward swirl.
If the passengers, including ministers, feel frustrated and angry, then their anger and frustration should be looked with empathy, but their actions need to be analyzed critically, because lawlessness cannot be encouraged.
But, in my opinion, the issue, and the reaction to it, are not isolated incidents. Frustration has been brewing in the region for decades. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan feel helpless in the face of mounted pressure exerted to dissuade them from asserting themselves. Their elected leaders are either inept, or unable to perform their duties in the presence of a hedonist bureaucracy; every now and then the GB Assembly’s members, including cabinet ministers, complaint about being bogged down, or disrespected, by the bureaucracy.
Non-local bureaucrats and businessmen have started purchasing land in the area, and the government also wants to snatch the locals’ land for one or the other project. The assembly has failed to assert itself as a vanguard of the locals’ interests, instead functioning as a rubber-stamp, used to legalize any and everything.
Corruption is rampant in the region, and the only people getting prosperous are the cronies and relatives of the bureaucrats and politicians. Non-local civil bureaucrats, mostly with military background, capture all important posts in the region, limiting prospects for local youth. Just recently it was revealed that a former Chief Judge of the Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court, belonging to mainland Pakistan, illegally appointed several dozen of his cronies, and relatives, during his ‘reign’; he himself got several crores of rupees in pension and other benefits, despite of being overage and already a retired judge, getting pension.
The locals’ issues of power outage, access to health and sanitation also remain unaddressed, contributing to the mounting heap of frustration.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan is currently reviewing many constitutional petitions pertaining to Gilgit-Baltistan’s future. A lot of media hype has been created around the issue, but realistic approach is needed. The hopes of any remarkable change in the order of things are very thin, if the past actions, or lack thereof, are to be taken as a point of reference. If the situation does not change, and if the issues of the region are not addressed according to the wishes and needs of the people, then the frustration will only keep getting bigger and bigger. The ripples of today have the potential of becoming the lethal storm waves of tomorrow.
