May 23: For the third time, the power house of recentlybuilt Sadpara Dam has stopped functioning leaving the entire Skardo city indark. However, this time, the situation is different as the infamous Chineseengineer a.k.a. Mr. Li U has refused to come to Skardo to fix the problem. Mr.Li U has accused the WAPDA authorities of refusing payments to him for hisearlier visits. Interestingly, WAPDA has not appointed any technical staffs andcontinue to rely on Mr. Li U for maintenance of the power house. The ‘blackout’which has entered in its third week, has disrupted life and businesses in theSkardo valley, which is home to more than 100,000 people. On May 22, thousandsof protesters blocked the roads and clashed with law enforcement personnel.They also demanded immediate action against WAPDA authorities and damcontractors.  WAPDA has asked theregional government to release two carore rupees (US$ 232,560) to fix theproblem. Unfortunately the so-called empowered regime of Gilgit-Baltistan lacksthese funds to pay to the Chinese engineers. Meanwhile USAID, according tomedia reports of May 25, would issue a grant of seven billion rupees forupgradation of Sadpara dam, which might help solve some of the pressing problems.

 

May 23: The chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, Syed MehdiShah, has praised China forher support against the threats emanating from USAand India.He also announced to carry official visit to China along with his cabinetmembers in the near future.

 

May 23: Opposition leader in the Gilgit-BaltistanLegislative Assembly, Mirza Hussain of PML-Q has asked the government to redirectits resources to attract the Chinese tourists. He suggested enhancingcooperation between the people and politicians of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chinaand encouraging Chinese companies to invest in different fields.

 

May 24: State led China Radio International, represented by24 journalists made a debut visit to Gilgit and met several political leadersincluding the governor. Governor praised the Chinese communist regime forsupporting Pakistan and stressed on her continued role which helps balancepower in Asia. Meanwhile, the members of the newly incepted Gilgit-BaltistanCouncil have announced to visit China and interact with the policy makers.

 

May 24: Residents of Nalt valley of Nagar have blocked theKarakoram Highway (KKH) in protest. They accuse the Chinese construction crew and FWO personnel, working on the expansion of the KKH, of using hundreds of dynamites simultaneously to cut into the rocks, which has caused damaged to several houses. They demand financial compensation and end to relentless blasting. The rock blasting has worsened noise and air pollution in the valley. However, it is unlikely that both China and Pakistan will halt their strategic projects since the project will ‘help the villagers’ with better connectivity to Central Asia and Iran, as claimed by the authorities.

 

May 25: During a recent visit to China by PM Gilani, hiscounterpart agreed to bear the cost of widening of spillway and repairing andreconstructing the 30-km long stretch of the Karakoram Highway, which wasdamaged during the landslides in Atabad, Gojal. The Chinese premier also expressed desire to invest in Gojal and Hunza areas, which border the Xinjiang province. It is expected that another year will pass before the issue is resolved and till then, the internally displaced persons will have to wait for rehabilitation.China also suffers from theb lockage of KKH as the highway links China with Pakistan and the Middle East.

 

May 25: The opposition leader in the Gilgit-BaltistanLegislative Assembly (GBLA), Bashir Khan of Pakistan Muslim League – Q hascriticized America centric Pakistani foreign policy and suggested enhancedrelations with China. He demanded that government should give preference toChina for investment in the region and provide all facilities to attract fundsand grants.

 

May 22: Large cache of automatic weapons, hand grenades,explosives and gas masks has been confiscated from the Darel valley ofGilgit-Baltistan, which borders the infamous Swat district of Pakistan.Government is in the process of arresting several locals, who helped theculprit, a resident of Haripur, Abbottabad in hiding these items in the valley.

 

May 24: Dr. Rizwan of Pakistan occupied Kashmir became thelatest victim of state led brutality. He was abducted by ISI officials on May 7and his dead body was found on May 23. Dr. Shabbir Chaudary and Afzal Suleriaof Kashmir National Party have accused ISI of expansionist and imperialistagendas. They stated that the local people are constantly harassed andvictimized for their political beliefs.

 

May 25: Arif Aslam, son of Brigadier  Aslam Khan,owns the famous Shangrila Resort of Baltistan. The family hails from Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and has been residing in Baltistan since last four decades. During late seventies, Bridier  Aslam Khan acquired vast tracts of land in the Katsura valley where he established the world famous ShangrilaResort. However, the project became a reality only after denying land compensation to the villagers, who lost valuable  land to this resort.Some villagers filed cases in the court but the Bridier won them all based on his military connections. Arif Aslam is known for brutally thrashing those who dare to challenge his excesses. Lately, Arif Aslam is in the news again. This time, he tied Mohammad Ali of Katsura to a tree trunk and beat him with a baton to unconsciousness. Mohammad Ali is currently admitted in the hospital. He has been threatened to not press charges against the assailant. The villagers on their part blocked Gilgit-Skardo highway and protested brutality of illegal Pakistani settlers. Shangrila Resort earns millions of rupees annually from foreign tourists yet, the management never pays tax and other related duties to the local government. It might be true that arrival of illegal Pakistanis increase opportunities of businesses and employment. But their treatment of locals as slaves and subordinate adds to resentment and social destruction.

 

May 28: Political activist, Tahir Ali Tahir, was released on bail after 2 months of imprisonment from Gakoch Jail. He is facing sedition charges fordemanding withdrawal of Pakistani forces from the region according to the UNCIP resolutions.

 

May 29: Thousands gathered at Hussaini Chowk Skardo condemning the authorities and secret service agencies of protecting those who commit blasphemy. They said that blasphemy law remains a political tool in the hands of Mullahs and agencies to oppress the minorities but the same law failed to bring the culprits to justice who brunt dozens of Qurans in the Keris Mosque and abused the Muslim infallible icons in public. Authorities are selective in punishing those who commit blasphemy just like they are selective in capturing and killing the terrorists. They also stated that the culprits who have recently been released from the prison on bail have remained on the pay roll of agencies.Such individuals promote sectarianism and extremism in the society and create ethnic divides. Governments are bent on damaging the foundations of Nurbaxshi and Shia faiths in the region and such culprits support the cause of the agencies. The speakers also demanded punishment to those who attacked seventeen villages of GB in 1988 and burnt the assets, killed hundreds of people and raped local women.

 

May 22: Hassan Sadpara, the second hero from the disputed region of Gilgit-Baltistan to climb Mount Everest has stated that lack of funds restricted his team members, including his brother, to scale the summit with him. GB is known as mountaineer’s paradise, and thousands of people flock to this remote region every year to scale famous mountain peaks of the world. Yet, this particular sports genre has failed to receive government’s patronage. Duringthe interview Hassan seemed frustrated since no federal official had arrived at the airport to honor the first so-called ‘Pakistani’ to climb Mount Everest without using oxygen. Hassan said, “I did not raise the flag of Gilgit-Baltistan on Everest; it was the green banner of Pakistan, which I took with me and therefore Pakistani officials should acknowledge my services for this country”. Hassan has now requested the regional government to establish mountaineering academy in Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

On February 7th, 2011, captain Paul Breesmans,who is the president of Belgian Association for Solidarity with Jammu andKashmir (BASJAK) interviewed Professor Zahuruddin, who is convener of JammuMuslim Coordination Committee; patron in chief of Jammu Muslim Front; andpresident of Forum for Regional Voices of J&K. In response to a questionabout Pakistan’s role and legal position viz. a viz. Kashmir issue, theprofessor said the following, “Especiallyin the international forum, Pakistanis always referring to the UN resolutions and the promised plebiscite, but theyonly say what is in their favour.  Theynever say that, according to these resolutions, they have to withdraw theirarmed forces from J&K as a precondition for organising the plebiscite.  By invading J&K in October 1947, thuspushing the Maharaja to accede to India,and by refusing to withdraw its armed forces from J&K, thus blocking theway to plebiscite, Pakistanis at the origin of this whole disaster. They made us scapegoats for their own interest and therefore, we aresuffering for the last almost 64 years.…” While referring to the Jihadi agenda promoted by Pakistan, he calledPakistani authorities and their policies exploitative and accused them ofspoiling local culture, educational system and heritage and looting localresources.

 

May 24: The chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan has left for Dubai to attend thePak-Afghan summit. There, he is expected to lobby to attract internationalinvestment in tourism and power generation projects.

 

May 27: Political leaders from Diamer district includingHaji Abdul Sattar, Ahmed Mir and Shah Rom while responding to a survey questionnaireto assess the impacts of construction of Diamer dam on the local society and culture, stated that cultural artifacts, petroglyphs and ancient inscriptions numbering over fifty five thousands will be submerged in the reservoir. They complaint that theft of cultural artifacts and vandalism continue without check and manyof the precious art works have either been stolen or sold in the black market.They stated that many rock etching and carving samples are subjected to wallchalking and used as advertisement billboards. Around 100 kilometer long valley from Shatial to Raikot has high density of such artifacts. Currently, lack of patronage and climatic wear and tear threatens future of these artifacts. Local contractors and construction staffs are blasting the boulders to extract bricks and crushed rock. The leaders demanded that the district government, regiona lgovernment, WAPDA, archeological department and tourism department must hold meetings with village organizations to ensure safety of these valuable artifacts. They also demanded establishment of a museum in the region to preserve ancient cultural items.

 

May 29: In the end, some good news. Ehsan Ali Advocate,president of Bolor Labor Party, has been elected the president of Gilgit Baltistan High court bar association. He has been a staunch supporter of self-determination for GB and critical of Pakistani presence in the region. IGBS congratulates Ehsan Ali Advocate for his success.

 

Sincerely

 

www.gilgitbaltistan.us