People of Gilgit Baltistan: The Political Orphans Dear Syed Ali Sahab
AOA

I read your article. Many thanks for informing about human rights violations in Gilgit. In the end, you seemed to insist and declare that Pakistan is the only destination of Gilgit.

I think Pakistan is a house on fire. It is like a cancerous body and slowly rotting. I was wondering why are you so anxious to become part of Pakistan and jump in the fire of hopelessness and orderlessness. Will you ever allow your own child or brother to enter or live in a burning house? I do not think so. Then why you want the same for million or so people of Gilgit? I think it leads to two answers: Either you are not sincere to people and land of Gilgit and want them to be part of a country which never grants any rights to its minorities (please study the case of Balochis, Sindhis, Qadianis and Shias of Pakistan). After all, you do not live in GilgitBaltistan. Most intellectuals talk about gilgit while enjoying life somewhere in pindi or karaachi in thier comfortable rooms.

Or that you assume that Pakistan is on its way of becoming the paradise and heaven for its people and hence people of Gilgit will eventually benefit from future """successess""" of the regimes. Look at the case of NWFP. 60 years passed, the people of that province has not been able to get even a name of their choice for thier province. Such are the insecurities and inferiority complexes in Pakistan that Islamabad grants nothing to provinces. You should be thankful to God that at least Gilgit is a disputed region and in case Pakistan becomes a menace and cancerous to third stage, people of Gilgit will have some other choices to opt from.

But there are people who love to stay with the mess and not only love to stay but make all possible efforts to be part of a mess and then be proud of it.

I guess Gilgit and Baltistan is no exception and the more Pakistan becomes a mess, some Baltis and Gilgitis become happier as their dream of living in a mess comes true and their efforts of integration into Pakistan and ""becoming the 5th province"" becomes intensified.

Kashmir and its people wanted to be part of Pakistan in 1947. But as time passed and we saw what Pakistani establishment, army and ISI does to Bangladeshis, Sindhis, Balochis, Shias, Parachinar, Qadianis, 1988 Gilgit massacre, mess in Afghanistan due to Paki intervention and so forth, our intelligent people changed their mind. Reason is that we love Kashmir. We know after becoming part of Pakistan, Islamabad will suck revenues from all of our resources and in return give what balochis are getting right now: bullets and jail. For us, Kashmir is always first and then comes Pakistan or India. For you people, I guess it is ""sacrifice Gilgit for Pakistan"". Shah se barh kar Shah ka Ghulam. Pakistan which is qatalgah for shias is more important for you than your own land and people.

Intellectuals from Gilgit may hate us Kashmiris but at least we love our land and do not throw it to the wolves. We do not look for shortcuts and cutting the corner so our future generations may not suffer as we sacrifice our present. But you seem so desparate to gift your land to wolves in ISI.

As an educated gilgiti, you should try to look for best suitable country for your people. Tell me, when you buy cloths for your child, dont you look for the best quality?? When you choose a school for your sister, dont you go for the best in town that money can provide?? I guess you do it out of ultimate love and sincerity for your loved ones. But when it comes to choosing future country for gilgit, you go for the worst choice?? I wonder if you really care for poor of gilgit?? Look at Pakistan;s economy: no atta, gas, patrol, electricity....long list. Then look at human rights records. ISI reminds me of Yazid's army. 80 thousand alone kidnapped from sindh by ISI for demanding rights. no democracy, no constitution, no institutions, industry closed down, and your president wants to smack jounalists as he gets chance.

It seems you really want shias of gilgit to experience some wahhabi suicide bombers after becoming permanent part of Pakistan. Tell me one good thing Pakistan can offer to gilgit. once you become permannt part of Pakistan, gilgit will be taken over by wahhabi pathans and that will be end of you local people. But why would you care. you live in karachi. gilgit will become parachinar where shias were once 64% but now hardly 30% and remaining getting massacred daily.

Do you think gilgit will become province?? you are daydreamer. If Seraikis with 16 million population have not been able to get a province and karachi with 18 million still dreaming about it, then why gilgit with 9,64,000 only people (1988 census) will become a province?? especially when it is shia majority?? bohot sadah loh ho mere pyarey. 60 years passed and still, pakistan ke hukmaranon ko nahin pehchaan sakay??

yes you will become a province only after shia are systematically turned into minority, like what they are doing with balochis in gawadar. but then what is the use of that province where you become slave of the settlers?? where revenues from tourism will go to pathans and a pathan will represent your people in national assembly and senate

but then why would you care?? you even donot live in gilgit. you were even not borned there

enjoy intellectual debate from you cozy room in karachi

sincerely

Mohammad Ali Dhar
Kashmir Valley (Zadhibal)