The U-turn of NALA members

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008
(Editorial)
FOR the last 61 years Gilgit-Baltistan has been under the administrative control of Pakistani federal minister. Started in 1970s with the name of a consultative assembly, today this house is called Northern Areas Legislative Assembly. There is no such precedent in the whole world where people are not authorized even to choose the head of their representative body. The so-called house has in the past been called by different names based on its performance. There is no need to write about this useless body because it has become a gathering place of opportunists and turncoats. The credential of the so-called political leaders associated with this house is such that they never tire of serving the bureaucracy and federal ministers against the wishes of the masses besides promoting Lotacracy at the cost of the bright future of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Whenever the people rise against the deprivation and injustices these elements come to the rescue of the rulers by hoodwinking the masses that their problems would be resolved on a priority basis. They also remain in the fore-front in subduing the public anger by propagating the so-called packages and development projects of the rulers. Time has proved that neither the so-called packages were implemented nor the claims of spreading a network of development projects in the region ever proved true. One feels ashamed after reading the statements of many of the leaders in the press.
But they never feel it their obligation to work for the future of the people and promote their identity. Whenever there is a change in the government of Pakistan these elements go one step forward to achieve their own objectives. After the success of nationalist forces in Karachi and the NWFP during the recent elections on Pakistan, some of the members of NALA have announced to form a nationalist party of their own. In this regard some of the members including two advisers have held meetings in Gilgit and Islamabad. They say that after failure of the federalist parties to achieve basic rights of the region, the formation of a nationalist party has become inevitable.
We consider that the move of the NALA members is realistic but there is more to it. When we look at the past it becomes clear that these politicians have in the past changed loyalties and joined the PML-N, PML-Q and the PPP according to the political tidings by telling the masses that they had switched over in order to ensure basic rights for the people. Can the people trust those who changed their conscience with the change of rulers in Islamabad? This time these opportunist elements have changed their modus operandi mainly due to the success of the MQM in Karachi and ANP in the frontier though there is a big difference between the nationalists of Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Pakistani nationalists demand provincial autonomy while such a demand holds no water for those in Gilgit-Baltistan who prefer to base their struggle on complete self-rule for the region. If the members of NALA are really concerned about the future of Gilgit-Baltistan they should take the existing nationalist parties of the region on board and devise a joint strategy instead of forming another party. Political observers believe that the aim of launching such a party is aimed to sabotage the struggle of the nationalist parties who have been very successful to take up the issues of the region at the national and international levels for the last a few decades, perturbing the government and its secret agencies alike. Can we expect that the proposed party would give top priority to the struggle for independence and promotion of national identity.
At this stage, however, nothing can be said about the real aims and objectives of the move. However, the picture would be clearer within a few months. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have entered the 62nd years of their slavery. As a new government has taken over in Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan is still under the rule of ‘martial law.’ Under such circumstances, people of the region would never compromise on the bright future of the region.

Kashmir issue a victim of topsy-turvy policies: Shaukat

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008

BRUSSELS: The World Vision’s bureau chief at Brussels Mr Manzar Aqeel Haider held a meeting with Kashmir People’s National Party Chairman Sardar Shaukat Ali Kahmiri at the Belgian capital and discussed various important issues including the Kashmir dispute.
In reply to a question, Mr Kashmiri said the present impasse in Kashmir was a continuation of history and past happenings in the region though the nature of the war has changed. Today the intra-capital turmoil has come to the fore at the international level as compared to the Cold War era in which the situation was quite different. At that time the world was divided into two blocs of the United Sates and the then USSR. During the Cold War too, many countries under the leadership of India formed the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in order to keep their nations out of the imbroglio of the two-bloc confrontation.
He said today’s situation is a result of the struggle between the `war capital’ and `consumer capital’ to hold their monopoly on the major world markets. He said the industry and capital based on war paraphernalia and trade would want to see major world disputes remain unresolved and new ones cropped up. On the contrary, the consumer capital would like to see peace prevailing in the world, democracy promoted and nations getting on track to economic progress, so that industries and people engaged in the sector got boosted. So, the consumer capital is always out to promote peace in the world for its own interest.
“When we look at the political situation in Pakistan, it becomes clear that the policy makers, secret agencies and the armed forces are still mired in the romance of the Cold War era, when international capitalism was supporting the rulers of the day to facilitate their win against the then USSR. However, after the disintegration of the USSR, when the so-called mujahidden fighting the proxy war became irrelevant the war took a different turn. The erstwhile allies of the US – the military and the so-called mujahideen – started looking at the US policy change as a betrayal and took arms against it. They thought that they had not only defeated the mighty USSR but also caused its disintegration. In this haughtiness, they thought that fighting and defeating India in a similar way would not be a problem for them. However, the result of that is now very clear.”
Another aspect of the game is that today a number of countries including the US, China and Saudi Arabia are playing with the Pakistani people’s desire to ensure their basic political, economic, social rights and judicial independence in order to promote their own economic, political and world agendas.
“I can say that it was the expanding nature of capital that despite coming face to face on a number of occasions, especially after banned Lashkar-i-Tayyaba attacked the Indian parliament in 2004, India and Pakistan avoided war. Later, both the countries opened Line of Control (LoC) at some selected points, leading to opening of a bus service between them after over half a century. Many delegations are visiting each other’s countries and foreign firms especially from the US are opening their outlets in India and Pakistan. However, to extend the trade to all the three parts of Kashmir – the valley, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan – is not acceptable to some elements who want the areas remain strife stricken. Inside Pakistan elements like Lashkar Tayyaba and Jihad Council are the continuation of such an international agenda.”
Answering a question about Kashmir, he said if we look at the issue in the perspective of its constitutional and legal points, it becomes clear that it is an issue between the people of Kashmir and the government of India, while Pakistan by virtue of its being a neighbor has become a self-appointed advocate of the issue. He said despite making tall claims on the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir, Pakistan has failed to implement the resolutions of the UN Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) including the ceasefire agreement to resolve the issue.
According to the resolutions, he added, Pakistan was to withdraw its troops and civilian officials from Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and hand over local administration to the people of the region. While recognizing Srinagar as a representative government, India was allowed to keep a bulk (more than half) of its troops in the state to maintain law and order. Ironically, till 1953 Pakistan kept on denying the fact that it had deployed troops in the areas.
The ice was broken when a UN team arrived in Karachi to check the situation on the ground and was told by Pakistan that withdrawal of troops from the region was not possible and that it should be given more time to do so. However, Pakistan could not fulfil its promise made with the international community and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan even after the passage of over 60 years, putting all the blame for non-implementation of the UN resolutions on India.
As far as Indian troops’ presence in the valley is concerned, if they were there to kill the people no Kashmiri Muslim could have been alive after 61 years. The war there has been started by the agents of the upper class of Pakistan and the extremists and those elements who use religion as a weapon are responsible for the destruction. This is the reason that Indian troops who were until recently confined to their barracks have now started intruding houses.
The so-called political leaders of Kashmir are also responsible for the mess. Due to the particular geographical, political, economic and religious characteristics of Kashmir no group or political entity can achieve anything by fighting another group.
On the other hand, the two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan even today remain deprived of their basic constitutional, political, economic and human rights. The officials of the Kashmir and Northern Areas ministry and the so-called legislative assembly treat the people like slaves. The government of Azad Kashmir and its departments are also powerless and are at the mercy of the Kashmir division, where even a lowly section officer calls the shots.
If we accept that Pakistan supports the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination then why it has denied the same rights to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan for the last over six decades. The general secretary of the party’s Belgium chapter, Jameel Maqsood was also present on the occasion.

Srinagar as a representative government, India was allowed to keep a bulk (more than half) of its troops in the state to maintain law and order. Ironically, till 1953 Pakistan kept on denying the fact that it had deployed troops in the areas.
The ice was broken when a UN team arrived in Karachi to check the situation on the ground and was told by Pakistan that withdrawal of troops from the region was not possible and that it should be given more time to do so. However, Pakistan could not fulfil its promise made with the international community and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan even after the passage of over 60 years, putting all the blame for non-implementation of the UN resolutions on India.
As far as Indian troops’ presence in the valley is concerned, if they were there to kill the people no Kashmiri Muslim could have been alive after 61 years. The war there has been started by the agents of the upper class of Pakistan and the extremists and those elements who use religion as a weapon are responsible for the destruction. This is the reason that Indian troops who were until recently confined to their barracks have now started intruding houses.
The so-called political leaders of Kashmir are also responsible for the mess. Due to the particular geographical, political, economic and religious characteristics of Kashmir no group or political entity can achieve anything by fighting another group.
On the other hand, the two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan even today remain deprived of their basic constitutional, political, economic and human rights. The officials of the Kashmir and Northern Areas ministry and the so-called legislative assembly treat the people like slaves. The government of Azad Kashmir and its departments are also powerless and are at the mercy of the Kashmir division, where even a lowly section officer calls the shots.
If we accept that Pakistan supports the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination then why it has denied the same rights to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan for the last over six decades. The general secretary of the party’s Belgium chapter, Jameel Maqsood was also present on the occasion.

Legislators return budget for revision

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008
GILGIT: The Northern Areas Legislative Assembly has decided to return the budget documents to the finance department to review them in accordance with the `aspirations of the house’.
“Since the budget is to be reviewed so it is neither passed nor rejected,” Speaker Malik Mohammd Miskeen ruled.
Earlier, when the speaker informed the house that the assembly was to debate on the budget, PML-Q parliamentary leader Fida Mohammad Nashad said the budget should be returned for revision. He said there were points including ADP-related issues on which the house required full consensus.
Other members supported Mr Nashad after which the speaker decided to return the documents for review.
NALA DELEGATION: A ten-member delegation of NALA would visit Islamabad to inform the federal minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas about the reservations of the house on the budget and share of lawmakers in development process.

Jashn-e-Chitral from Oct 11

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008
PESHAWAR: NWFP Minister for Sports, Culture and Tourism Syed Aqil Shah has said Jashn-i-Chitral will be held with traditional zeal and enthusiasm from October 11 to October 15 wherein besides arranging programmes of tourists’ interest like tug of war, folk music, poetry, traditional Chitrali dance and adventure tourism events, Chitral Youth Football Mela will also be held.
He expressed these views while presiding over a review meeting regarding arrangements for Jashn-i-Chitral 2008 in Peshawar on Monday.
Besides others, Secretary Sports NWFP Sahibzada Fazle Amin, Director General Sports Iltaf Umerzai, GM STC Mushtaq Khan and Chairman CAMAT Sirajul Mulk attended the meeting.
Syed Aqil Shah said for successful holding of the festival, arrangements should be started immediately.
He said on the last day of Jashn-i-Chitral, NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti would witness the final of Chitral Youth Football Mela as chief guest and distribute prizes among the players.
General Manager STC Mushtaq Khan informed the meeting that STC would introduce new track at Kalash valley as well as trout fishing competition for tourists on the occasion while through proper projection it could become the second biggest touristi event of NWFP after Shandur Mela.
An organizing committee under the chairmanship of Secretary Tourism was formed with Muhammad Ali Shah as its secretary , while GM STC, Director General Sports, a representative of NWFP Sports Department, two representatives of STC have been included in the sub-committee.
Syed Aqil Shah directed the Secretary Tourism and organizing secretary of the committee to present a detailed progamme about the festival within a week.

Rulers out to malign nationalist parties

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 200

By Our Reporter
GILGIT: The increasing and unprecedented popularity of Gilgit-Baltistan National Alliance (GBDA) has not only sent a shock wave among the rulers but also perturbed the political parties in Pakistan.
These views were expressed by GBDA leaders including Ehsan Ali Advocate, Iqbal Advocate, Wazir Shafi, Mohammad Rafiq and Burhanullah while speaking at a press conference in Gilgit.
They said the recent statements of members of the so-called legislative assembly showed that they have totally lost public support and confidence and were trying to win support of the people under the garb of nationalism. They have also indicated formation of a nationalist party seeing the popularity of the nationalist forces in the region, they added. However, the people are now mature enough and will not play at the hands of such opportunists, the GBA leaders said.
They said as government of Pakistan, its secret agencies and administration officials posted in Gilgit-Baltistan were responsible for the over 61-yrear-long deprivation of the people of the region, the local so-called politicians were equally to blame for the situation. The recent political summersault of the legislative assembly members would on the one hand increase the sense of deprivation and give benefit to the exploitative forces and on the other cause embarrassment to the two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan at the national and international levels.
The GBDA also condemned a statement of the Force Commander Northern Areas in which he had termed Gilgit-Baltistan a part of Pakistan. They also criticized his allegations that the nationalist parties were involved in creating law and order in the region by using money and alleged that the government’s secret agencies had in the past spent billions of rupees to spoil peace in Gilgit-Baltistan. They said they were also aware of those elements who were ever ready to work against the people for money and therefore the Force Commander should not try to conceal the facts and point finger at the nationalist parties.
They said the State Subject Rule was being violated at will in order to turn the local population into a minority in the region. For the last a few years, people from Sindh, Punjab and NWFP have been allotted land in the region and leases of mines have also been given to outsiders. When people of Yasen-Gindayi protested against leasing out of mines in their area to a Chinese company, a number of innocent residents were arrested and put behind bars and were tortured without any reason, they regretted.
They also alleged that nationalist leaders were being harassed and they were receiving life threats. The secret agencies are also taping phones of the nationalists, they alleged.
They said efforts were also under way to create suspicions among the public about the nationalists.
They said nationalist parties were neither against Pakistan nor any other country but were struggling to win freedom for the people of the region.
They called upon the international human rights agencies to take notice of the injustices done with the region for the last 61 years and threats being issued to the nationalist leaders.
They also demanded unconditional and immediate release of those arrested in connection with the Gindayi protest.

Gindayi protest MLAs oblivious of arrested people

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008

GAHKUCH: Elected representatives in the district and legislative assembly from Ghizer did not even bother to inquire after the welfare of the 30 citizens arrested during protests against leasing out of Gindayi mines to a Chines company.
The arrested people while talking to this correspondent in the City police station’s lockup said the Ghizer police had kept them in custody for the last over two weeks without any reason. They said they were facing physical and mental torture at the hands of the police.
They said by dislodging the firm named China-Pakistan Friendship Company they had done a good service for the area and safeguarded the natural resources of the people. However, they regretted that the elected representatives of the district had remained a silent spectator to the issue and even did not turn up to see them in the police station.
They said they had not committed any such crime for which they could be tortured.
They said under the law, they could be kept under police custody for only three to four days but the police had been keeping them in custody for the last over 12 days.
They called upon human rights organizations in the country and abroad to put pressure on the government for violating their legal and human rights and provide them justice.—Our Correspondent

Media trial of nationalist forces slammed

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008
By Our Reporter

ISLAMABAD: The All Parties National Alliance, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, has criticised what it said a propaganda campaign launched by the establishment against nationalists of the region.
In a statement issued here, alliance chairman Advocate Mohammad Iqbal said a recent statement by the Force Commander, Northern Areas, showed that the establishment was perturbed over the rising popularity of the nationalist and progressive parties of the region.
He said efforts to involve the FCNA in politics would fail to serve the objectives of the establishment as the people of the region were well aware of the injustices which they have been facing for the last over 60 years.
Describing the FCNA’s statement violation of the Chief of Army Staff’s policy of disengaging army from politics, he asked the military officers to refrain from commenting on the political and constitutional issue of the area. He said for the last over six decades, the rulers have been telling the people of Gilgit-Baltistan that they were the citizens of Pakistan. He, however, said the region was neither part of Pakistan nor Islamabad can bring it under its constitution.
Describing the resolution of Northern Areas Legislative Assembly about the presidential election a farce, he said the so-called leaders of the region were responsible for keeping the local people subjugated for the last 61 years, adding now they were out to get as much privileges as possible from the government.

‘Govt’s failures driving people towards suicide’

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008
By Our Reporter
GILGIT: Due to rampant poverty and hunger, people are committing suicide in the country but the rulers have failed to realize the gravity of the situation and meet their expectations.
The masses were expecting a positive change after the downfall of General Musharraf but the new government not only failed to give them any relief but also failed to devise a plan to lessen their sufferings. These views were expressed by prominent nationalist leader Sher Wali Poonyali while talking to Bang-e-Sahar here.
He said the present price hike and poverty have compelled people to commit suicide but ironically the government was not bothered to resolve the public issues and the rulers were living a luxurious life.
He said those who never missed a chance to blame Musharraf for every ill had now come to power but were neither able to control price hike nor devise any policy to give relief to the poor.
He said wheat flour crisis, petroleum crisis and one after the other collapse of vital bridges had put the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in a bind. The administration of the region has even failed to give a semblance of relief to the locals during the holy month of Ramazan, he added. He said despite making tall claims, the administration could not control hoarding and profiteering in the area.
Even vegetables in the local markets have gone out of the reach of the poor. If the trend continued unchecked, the people would be unable to do Eid shopping, he added. He said poor people had to think about two times’ bread and had nothing to do with other affairs of the state.

Media campaign against Natco MD condemned

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008

GILGIT: The employees of Northern Areas Transport Corporation (Natco) have criticised media campaign against the managing director of the corporation, Mr Zafar Iqbal, and said some influential politicians and unscrupulous element were behind the campaign to achieve their own vested interests.
Addressing a news conference here, Jehangir Shah and other members of the employees’ committee said some disgruntled elements who had been sacked from the organisation were now playing in the hands of some political figures and private transport mafia.
They said these elements issued unnamed notices of strike on behalf of the labourers of the organisation.
They disowned what they said the so-called labour union and said it did not enjoy the mandate to represent the rights of the employees. They vowed to unmask such elements and frustrate their designs of damaging this public organisation which is the only major souce of employment in the poverty-ridden area.—A Correspondent

“The MPA seeks funds for Mastuj

Weekly Bang-e-Sahar karachi Saturday, September 13——-September 19, 2008

PESHAWAR: Member of the NWFP Assembly from Chitral Ghulam Mohammad on Tuesday urged the provincial government to initiate uplift schemes in his underdeveloped constituency to bring it at a par with developed areas of the country.
people of Chitral expect the provincial government will launch massive uplift schemes in the area which is far behind in communication, health and education sectors,” the MPA elected on Pakistan Muslim League- Q ticket from PF-90 Chitral-11 said.
The MPA said the constituency from where he was elected to the NWFP Assembly spread over 8,500 square kilometers and the people were facing tremendous problems due to dilapidated conditions of roads.
“Only 52-kilometer road is metalled in the areas spreading over 8,500 square kilometers,” the MPA said. Likewise, lack of teaching staff in the existing government schools and medical staff in the health centers was also a big issue of the area, where the students and patients have to cover a long distance to reach their schools and hospital. He said there were school buildings but no teachers while the existing basic health units (BHUs), rural health centers (RHCs) and other hospitals in the district sans required staff. “There are only two doctors working in the 34-bedded Booni Hospital against the 11 sanctioned post of medical officers,” the legislator said.
NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has pledged to allocate extra fund for his constituency to improve communication system, he said despite in opposition I had supported the provincial government in passing the annual budget.
Ghulam Mohammad, who had been in active politics since 1986, said Chitral, is the most peaceful district of the province that had great potential of tourism and hydel power generation.
“If small dams and power generation houses are built in Yarkhun, Terich and Laspur valleys, Pakistan will be in a position to export electricity to the neighbouring countries,” the MPA claimed.Ghulam Muhammad said the construction of Lowari Tunnel would not only permanently link Chitral with rest of the country but also help boost the economy of the district and province as well.