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The pot calling the kettle black
By Dj Mathal
A few days back Chief Executive of the powerless legislative assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan in yet another uncivilized and bizarre manner alleged that India was funding the nationalist parties of Gilgit-Baltistan. Public opinion about Mr Khan is that he is a non-serious, illiterate and a man having an imbalanced personality. Whatever he says in the darkness of the night, he forgets them when the sun rises the next day. It is strange that a man who remained all in all for the last five years in the region and was supported by forces including former dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf could not caught even one of the nationalists alleged to have taken funds from the neighboring country and it is also ironic that he is talking such a rubbish when he is about to lose power. There is no one in the region who is not aware of the tactics of the so-called chief executive of Gilgit-Baltistan. His antics are usually aimed at drawing the attention of the masses who are no more his subjects now. But the people of the region have become highly conscious of all the facts and they also know the fact that Ghazanfar has become Sarrdar Qayyum of Gilgit-Baltistan. He has widely been reported to having said in private gatherings that Hunza is the property of his father; it is however another matter that he never dares to utter such rubbish in the public. During the last five years, it has been the habit of Mr Ghazanfar to make claims in order to make headlines but then refute them immediately. Therefore, the latest claim about the nationalists is also part of his worthless utterances.
We are not worried about the statement of the chief executive but take exception to the prominent political leaders and elected representatives of the region who despite knowing very well the temperament and record of the so-called chief executive seek explanations from him on the claim. It is also strange that our political leaders give such importance to the statement of an unserious, untrustworthy man and a game of sort has started giving numerous twists to an unfounded claim that too coming out from the mouth of a habitual and known liar. Some politicians have also started seeking proof and others are demanding of a judicial inquiry into the matter. It is worrying that our politicians have not studied the independence struggles around the world and the factors behind their successes. We would like to ask Mr Ghazanfar whether before issuing his statement he had consulted any of his media advisers or the statement was planted by the establishment through his mouth. His statement has come to the public soon after Prime Minsiter Yousuf Raza Gilani requested his Indian counterpart at Sharam al Sheikh to resume the peace talks between the two countries. In such a situation, Ghazanfar's statement will not only put a negative impact on the peace process but would be taken as a conspiracy to sabotage the efforts of the two countries to reach a settlement on the issue of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and to restore peace in the whole region. We also suspect that people who want to keep Gilgit-Baltistan in perpetual subjugation might have been behind the issuance of the baseless allegation against the nationalists through the chief executive of Gilgit-Baltistan. It has also been the habit of Pakistani rulers and bureaucrats to hide their shortcomings and inefficiencies and point fingers at others particularly foreign forces. The same is happening in Balochistan today. The federal government ahs been plundering the resources of the smaller provinces and the affected people are running from pillar to post in search of even edible items like wheat and flour. Within the last 20 years or so, nationalist forces in Gilgit-Baltistan have got ahead of the federalist parties in political filed due to which not only Islamabad has become very much perturbed but also political leaders in Gilgit-Baltistan have also read the writings on the wall. This is the main reason, why all sorts of tactics are being used to tarnish the image of the nationalist parties in the region. The people of the region also understand who are opportunists and who have been compromising on principles and committing fraud with the interest of the region for the last over 62 years. Our advice to the nationalists would be to appeal for international financial and diplomatic help like what was done by Bramdagh Bugti of Balochistan. Now time has come that we should work to attain our identity freely and for this we should contact the free world without any hesitation. At the same time, it is also time we differentiate between our friends and foes. It is for sure that the cause of the nationalist forces will never be dented by the baseless and unfounded allegations of the federalist forces in the region because it has always been the habit of Islamabad to term those who rise for their rights agents of India. Everyone knows that Bacha Khan was called Indian Ghandhi, Wali Khan was called the brother of Indira Ghandhi and today the same party of Bacha Khan is ruling the NWFP and has gone for renaming the province as Pakhtoonlhwa.
Whatever Islamabad and its cohorts say time has come that the nationalist parties of the region should come to the fore with full force but in a peaceful manner to achieve their objectives so that the next generation could live free from being subjugated by outside forces.
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