Role of Pakistani Government & Political Parties in

Gilgit Baltistanand

Why nationalism rise at GB

History of Gilgit Baltistan

Pre-History• The earliest inhabitants of the Gilgit-Baltistan

can be traced back to 5th millennium BC • They were known as Rock Art People as they

started the tradition of rock carving which was continued by their successors.

• They were hunters and lived in rocks. There is a general perception that they had religion having faith in mountains.

Megalith Builders • These people came from Chitral and Swat had the

tradition of building large megaliths. • They used to have a ceremonial carved stone in the

middle which was worshiped. • They used metals like copper, bronze, iron, gold and

silver. • They developed irrigated fields and also depended

on livestock like goat, sheep and other cattle. They lived in mud houses as temporary settlement

Dardic People• According to some historians, the Dardics

lived in the present Gilgit Baltistan during the Achaemenian Empire (4th century B.C). • Their economic activities included mining

and trading gold. This led to the establishment of a trade route with Central Asia and China

Scytho Parthians: • Various rock inscriptions around Chilas suggest that

the Scythians from Central Asia had established their rule in this area around the first century BC

• The rule of Scythians resulted in the introduction of Kharoshti script.

• The Scythian rule lasted only two generations between 1 B.C and 1 A.D. The influence of the Parthians on local culture is evident from the rock carvings of this era which depict some new themes other than those of the earliest inhabitants.

The Kushans• The Khushans moved to Northern Areas

between 1 B.C and 1 A.D who had already established their rule in Central Asia and China.

• They used gold for trade purposes and a route passed through Northern Area which was perhaps the Silk Route on which the current Karakoram Highway has been constructed

The Post Kushans• After the Khushans, the Sassanis from Persia

controlled the area in the beginning of 3rd century AD. During that period, Budhism continued to flourish and this area remained a famous crossing point for travel to and from India, China and Central Asia.

• The Huns: These were tribes from Central Asia who were warriors. They ruled through several Shina and Brushaski kings called 'Rajas'. By that time, Budhism was still on its way of spreading.

Medieval to Modern Time

• With the decline of Huns, the Rajas became independent. From 612 to 750 AD, the areas were ruled by Patoal Shahi Dynasty who were Budhists and had close ties with Chinese empire.

• Between 7th Century and early 19th century, parts of the Gilgit-Baltistan were ruled by succession of various dynasties including: Tarkhans of Gilgit, the Maghlots of Nagar, the Ayasho of Hunza, the Burshai of Punyal, the Maqpoons of Skardu, the Anchans of Shigar and the Yabgos of Khaplu.

• In the beginning of 8th century AD the Tarkhan rulers embraced Islam. In the medieval times, Gilgit-Baltistan remained outside Mughal control although Akber conquered Kashmir and parts of Baltistan

while Gilgit retained its independent status until the Gilgit-Baltistan came under the control of Dogra rulers of Kashmir in the middle of 18th century.

• By the end of 19th century, the British Government created the Gilgit agency and appointed a political agent, under a lease agreement with Maharaja Harising of Kashmir. In 1947, the people of Gilgit Baltistan fought against the Maharaja and got independence.

• Since then, it is being administered under the Federal Government of Pakistan as Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA

Role of Pakistan Government& Political Parties

in Gilgit &Baltistan

.

1947 Through a jointly formed armed struggle of the local

people, the Gilgit Scouts and the Muslim officers of the Maharaja’s army, the area was liberated on November 1, 1947 and an interim government constituted under Raja Shah Rais Khan of Gilgit. The government of Pakistan was invited through a telegram to take control of the areas. Responding to this request Sardar Muhammad Alam (A tehsildar in the NWFP government at that time) was appointed and sent to Gilgit on 16th November, as government of Pakistan’s political agent.

1949

• In April 1949 because of several administrative constraints an agreement was reached between the government of Pakistan and government of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJ & K)and Gilgit.

• This Agreement, the affairs of Gilgit and Baltistan were brought under the control of Political Agent appointed by the government of Pakistan.

• 1950 Establishment of the Ministry The federal Government established the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas (KANA) and transferred the affairs of the Northern Areas to the Ministry.

Appointment of Resident(1952)

• A Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs was appointed as Resident in the Northern Areas with all administrative and judicial authorities.

• 1967 Empowerment of Resident The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs introduced reforms by transferring powers of High Court and Revenue Commissioner to the Resident and appointed two Political Agent

Responsibility of Agents• Under the Resident, there used to be two Political

Agents, one each for Gilgit and Baltistan agencies. Each of the Political Agents exercised the following powers simultaneously in his jurisdiction:

• District and Session Judge• District Magistrate• Revenue Collector• Commissioner for FCR • Inspector General, Police• Chairman District Council

1965-1975

1965-1975• The political, economic, cultural and social aspects of

life and living in Nagar, Hunza during a period of relatively greater political awareness, the Raja,s anti-Mir political movement and the resultant demise of the State of Hunza ,Nagar,.

• The roles that different elements played during that phase of social change.

1970 First Elections• Elections in Northern Areas conducted for the first

time in 1970. These were for the NA Advisory Council consisting of 16 members. It was the first representative body of the Northern Areas

• During its early days, Commissioner N.A. (Resident) used to chair the Council. Later, a change was brought about, and the Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs became the chairman

PPP( Z. A. Bhutto 1972)• During 1972 the then government of Mr. Z. A.

Bhutto announced.• The President of Pakistan, through his proclamation

of August 1972, brought about fundamental structural reforms.

• The system of Feudal Lords, Rajas, Mir of Nagar and Agency was abolished.

• Gilgit and Baltistan agencies were given the status of districts.

• Resident and Political Agent were re-named Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, respectively.

• Political set-up in Gilgit till 1973 and that it was PPP’s founding father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who had taken the initiative after he came to power.

• In September 1974, Prime Minister Bhutto visited Northern Areas. On the occasion,

• He declared Ganchi and Ghizar as two new new districts .

PPP (Z.A Bhutto1974)

• The government of Z. A. Bhutto announced a package of administrative and judicial reforms by abolishing the State of Hunza and Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR). The Rajas (rulers) of abolished States were given government jobs and maintenance allowances.

The young “Mir of Nagar Mir Barkat Ali Khan That the state of Nagar had been dissolved by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on the basis of popular demand in 1974.The government of Paksitan, just like the Mir of Hunza and heads of other former states of Gilgit .

General Zia ul Haq

• July 5, 1977 General Zia ul Haq imposed Martial Law in Pakistan, the Northern Areas were also declared “Martial Law Zone-E(A to D being the four Provinces). From the administrative viewpoint, this was the first important decision that gave rise to confusion about the constitutional position of the Northern Areas.

• To this, the contradictory statements made by President Zia about the areas’ future and constitutional position added further confusion.

Zia-ul Haq

• In April 1982, the newspapers reported the President stating: that Gilgit, Skardu and Hunza were not disputed areas, but part of Pakistan. Speaking to correspondents in Quetta on May 9, 1982.

• He said ,Kashmir has been a disputed issue, but so far as the Northern Areas are concerned, we do not accept them disputed.

• He said I am not talking of Kashmir I am talking about the Northern Areas, which make part of Pakistan.

Zia-ul Haq

• while meeting a delegation of the Northern Areas on 15 April, 1985, President Zia-ul Haq again indicated, that: Northern Areas will be given representation before the next meeting of the National Assembly, and that elections for the National Assembly seats will be held in the three Northern Areas districts including Skardu and Gilgit. Also, that the Justice Ministry has been directed and it was considering to remove obstacles in the way of Northern Area’s representation in the National Assembly.

Zia ul haq

• A high power Committee was constituted in 1984-85 to settle the future of the Northern Areas. Members of the Committee included the Secretaries of Divisions/ Ministries of Establishment, Finance, Planning, Law, Interior, Education, and Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas. The Committee soon submitted its report. But it was neither implemented, nor made public

PPP Government

• In the 1988-90 PPP government appointed Mr. Qurban Ali (chairman PPP, Northern Areas) as Advisor to the Prime Minister for Northern Areas.

• Later again, during the second PPP regime Federal Cabinet approved a reform package for the Northern Areas, on April 25, 1994. The package included following actions,

PPP

• To administer Northern Areas, the Federal Minister of Kashmir Affairs, will be the Chief Executive of the Council; To assist C.E the Council will elect a Deputy Chief Executive.

• Three to five members of the Council will be taken as Advisors to C.E. They will enjoy the status of provincial ministers. Their appointment will, however, depend on the C.E’s discretion

PPP

• Through the package, Northern Areas were turned into defacto province. For the first time, the federal government appointed in the area, a Chief Secretary and four Secretaries.

• Under the package, party-based elections were held for the first time in 1994. A member of Pakistan People’s Party got elected as Deputy Chief Executive. PPP and Tahrik-i-Jafaria also sent two Advisors each, while Muslim League (Junejo group) got one seat of Advisor. These Advisors were assigned public departments.

Financial and administrative powers

• Financial and administrative powers remained centred in the federal Finance and Establishment Divisions, which the Chief Executive exercised as his exclusive right. Thus the lack of power of the Deputy Chief Executive and the Advisors became evident.

• Deputy Chief Executive will be authorized to transfer officers of grade 18, but not the Deputy Commissioner or the Superintendent of Police.

PML-N • General (R) Abdul Majeed Malik, the then Minister

for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas made a detailed visit of the area and met important personalities. On October 2, 1999, he announced that government was soon bringing a constitutional reforms package, through which the Northern Areas Council will be turned into Northern Areas Legislative Council.

• The Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC), the region’s elected legislature, is powerless, and civil and military bureaucrats run affairs

PML–Q/Pervaz Musharaf • President Musharraf, in his visit to Gilgit on October 23, 2007,

announced a package to amend the Legal Framework Order 1999. According to this package, the Legislative Council was upgraded and made a Legislative Assembly, and the Deputy Chief Executive was made its Chief Executive. The Minister for Kashmir Affairs was made the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly the Minister of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas who is appointed by the federal government.

• Moreover, the assembly was given the prerogative to pass the annual budget for the Northern Areas.

• Council’s membership was raised to 29. Five seats were reserved for women one elected indirectly, from each district.

Pervaz Musharaf • President Musharraf gave the only university to the region ,

Karakoram International University.

• He also inaugurated an 18-megawatt hydro-power project in Naltar Valley near Gilgit, and a dry port in the border town of Sost.

• Notwithstanding the constitutional and political power struggle, many socio-economic developments are taking place in Gilgit. Gilgit city is getting more modernized and developed as new roads, buildings, mobile phone companies, etc., become common place.

PPP (2009)• In September 2009, the government enacted ,The Gilgit-

Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Ordinance approved by the federal cabinet, paving way for the region to become the fifth province of Pakistan

• The announcement of the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order in Northern areas by PM Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani 2009.

• Under the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance order 2009 the name of the area has been changed from Northern Areas to Gilgit-Baltistan, Offices of Governor, Chief Minster and Ministers are created.

• The Gilgit-Baltistan Council headed by the Prime Minster of Pakistan

Gilgit Baltistan Assembly

• The Legislative Assembly shall consist of thirty three

members of whom-• Twenty four members shall be elected directly on the

basis of adult franchise• Six women members shall be elected on the pattern

as in case of reserved seat in Pakistan. One additional women seat (total 07) was created for newly created district of Hunza Nagar.

• Three technocrats and professional members shall be elected on the pattern as in case of reserved seat in Pakistan.

• Mr. Mehdi Shah has been elected as Chief Minster, Mr. Wazir Beig as Speaker and Mr. Jamil Ahmad as Deputy Speaker.

Party General Seats Women Technocrats Total

Pakistan People's Party 14 4 3 21

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) 2 1 3

Pakistan Muslim League (N) 2 2

Jamiat Ulema -e- Islam 3 1 4

Mutaihida Qaumi Movement 1 1

Independent 2 2

Total 24 6 3 33

Gilgit Baltistan Council

• The Prime Minister of Pakistan shall be the Chairman of the Council

• whereas The Governor G-B shall be the Vice-Chairman of the Council

• The Minister of State for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan shall be non voting member of the Council

Seat of Governor in Gilgit–Baltistan

• The seat of governor in Gilgit–Baltistan, was started on 16 September 2009.

• Qamar Zaman Kaira(acting) 16 September 2009 to 22 March 2010

• Dr. Shama Khalid 23 March 2010 to 15 September 2010

• Wazir Baig (acting) 17 September 2010 to 26 January 2011

• Pir Karam Ali Shah 27 January 2011 - Present • The current Governor is Pir Karam Ali Shah

• The package is to succeed, it is important to empower the people and make them self-sufficient by a greater power transfer to the G-B government and less dependence on Islamabad. The position of G-B still remains ambiguous.

Nationalist parties of Gilgit Baltistan

Nationalist parties of GB• Balwaristan National Front (BNF), • Gilgit-Baltistan Thinkers Forum,• Gilgit-Baltistan United Movement (GBUM),• Baltistan National Movement, • Karakoram National Movement,• Gilgit Baltistan National Congress, • Gilgit Baltistan Democratic Alliance (GBDA),• Gilgit Baltistan National Alliance (GBNA),

Why nationalism rise at GB• Genuine representatives have always been marginalized by the

Pakistani establishment in favor of servile yes men.• All agreements or discussions on their political framework and

destiny have never consulted or included any individual from theregion, let alone taken public will into account i.e.

• The Karachi Agreement of 28th April 1949, • UNCIP Resolutions, • Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s directly elected council in 1974,• the Legal Framework Order (LFO) of 1994, • Musharraf’s re-hashing of the latter in 2007 or the currently ‘package’

of 2009.

Cont..• Periodic uprisings and nationalist sentiment have

been ruthlessly quashed by the non-local military and civilian bureaucratic rule, most notably at the beginning of 1971. At times, they have fomented sectarian strife to deflect people from real issues, Gilgit 1988 is a case in point.

• All three organs of governance remain firmly in Pakistan’s control despite the country’s Supreme Court judgment of 1999 (SCMR 1379)which envisaged an independent judiciary and right to self-rule for the people of the region.

Cont..• Pakistan has levied and collected taxes

without legal justification and accountability. In return, there is no university, medical, engineering or other technical college in the region.

• Members of Pakistan’s armed forces including ISI, IB and MI have been exempt from prosecution for alleged human rights violations.

Cont..

• Pakistan’s executive in the shape of Ministry of Kashmir Affair sand Northern Areas (KANA) in Islamabad has in the past and still superimposes all ostensible governance in the region.

• The local Assembly does not possess the right to legislate on it’s natural resources, including water and minerals.

Demands from UN

• In the light of UN resolution of January 5, 1949, the UN Security Council must ensure genuine political, judicial, economic and cultural autonomy in Gilgit Baltistan

• Given that Pakistan has failed to ensure security in Gilgit Baltistan, UNO must station its peace keeping troops in the disputed region

Cont..

• Pakistan must be asked to open traditional trade routes leading towards India and Tajikistan / gulf countries

• which can help sustain local economy and provide alternate safe routes to travel as currently, travel on the Karakoram Highway is life threatening.

Cont..

• Violating UN resolutions, Pakistan abolished State Subject Rule in Gilgit Baltistan in 1974 and subsequently settled tens of thousands of her nationals to change local demography.

• Today the people of Gilgit Baltistan are threatened with ethnic cleansing.

• UNO must ask Pakistan to respect UN resolutions and remove her citizens who have damaged the social fabric by spreading extremism.

Cont..

• UNO must ask Pakistan to remove fake sedition cases and release all political prisoners.

• A UN commission must be sent to Gilgit Baltistan to assess gross human rights violations, killings, detentions and torture of political workers

• Pak must end curfew in Gilgit and ensure free and safe travel to all inhabitants on all routes.

Cont..

• Recently more than 120 soldiers of Pakistan controlled Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir died near the Siachen glacier after glacial melt and overflow damaged a village.

• UNO must ask India and Pakistan to remove forces from Siachen sector and convert the area into a peace park.

K 2

DEVOSAE

Shandur

sachin glacier

hunza

Minerals