GB, Kashmir in need of new social contract

By Dj Mathal

On August 29, the government of Pakistan sent ripples through all political parties of Gilgit-Baltistan including nationalists, federalists as well as civil society organizations by announcing the so called and fraudulent package claiming it gave self-rule to the people of the region. The people of Kashmir have started repeating the claim in all forums all over the world that the land of Kashmir spreading over an area of 84,000 sq km is a geographical unity with Gilgit-Baltistan as its jugular vein.Indeed, like us, the whole world recognizes Gilgit-Baltistan as part of the Kashmir dispute under the United Nations resolutions. But what should be done against the fact that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan themselves refuse to accept their area as part of Kashmir. Though Gilgit-Baltistan had in the past remained, for some time, as part of Kashmir being its province, but historically, culturally and geographically it has never been called Kashmir. The people of this area have their own unique history, culture, languages and traditions completely different from the people of Kashmir which makes them a separate nation. The people of Kashmir though claim that their area spread over 84,000 square km but they never bother to mention that Shenaki  Kohistan were also part of Gilgit-Baltistan and if history is to be corrected Mansehra was also part of Kashmir till 1857. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been demanding that Chitral, Shenaki  Kohistan should be merged into Gilgit-Baltistan because without these areas the geography of Gilgit-Baltistan will remain incomplete. Though nationalist, political and religious parties of Kashmir have of late also started saying that after getting self-determination under the UN resolution, if the people of Gilgit-Baltistan wanted to go their own way they can opt for an independent state of their own.On the other hand, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan now demand that as the people of Kashmir consider themselves to be the third party to the issue of Kashmir, they should at the same time declare Gilgit-Baltistan as the fourth party to the dispute. If the people of Gilgit-Baltistan are not included in any future parleys between the governments of India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir, the former would not be bound to accept any solution reached through such negotiations. For the past over 62 years, the issue of Kashmir has been a cause of exploitation for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is a fact that Gilgit-Baltistan cannot be made part of Pakistan until the issue of Kashmir is resolved under the relevant UN resolutions.When we look at the present situation, the condition of the people of Kashmir living on either side of the divide is much better than that in Gilgit-Baltistan because in any case they are enjoying a separate setup of their own howsoever powerless they can be. It is an irony, however, that as soon as the people of Gilgit-Baltistan started raising voice for their rights, the people of Kashmir came into the open declaring that it could be against the interest of the Kashmiris' right to self-determination. When we demanded for a provincial status, both the rulers of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir rejected it terming it against the UN resolutions, and when the masses of the region demand independence, the rulers call their demand an act of treason. However, the world has started realizing the fact that the region which has sacrificed so much for the Kashmir case is now becoming the victim of the issue.As soon as the people of Kashmir started opposing the so called package, the government of Pakistan seemed surrendering and the Foreign Office was quick enough to arrange a briefing for their leader on the subject. This is despite the fact that the government has never ever bothered to take into confidence or brief the people of Gilgit-Baltistan before finalizing such a bogus document directly concerning them.The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have never forgotten the fraudulent pact signed on April 28, 1949, by the government of Pakistan and the so called rulers of Kashmir pushing the two million people of Gilgit-Baltistan into a perpetual slavery. Since then the people of the region have been living a life of subjugation without having even basic political, economic and constitutional rights. And now the rulers of Pakistan have again hoodwinked the two million people of the region by staging the drama of the package to prolong its illegal rule in the region in collusion with the opportunist leaders of Kashmir and other agents on its payroll. However, there are also some nationalist forces inside Kashmir who are raising voice against the injustices with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.However, here the question arises that whether without a social contract can the leadership of the region would succeed in achieving their objectives. As the two parties have the same interests, there is a need of a socio-economic charter so that after gaining independence, the two peoples are not pitched against each other anymore. We should expect that all political parties in Kashmir including nationalists, religious and political entities should join hands with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to launch a struggle afresh for achievement of their common goal.