Gilgit-Baltistan Natives Urged to Unite, Expel Pakistani Occupying Forces

"In addition to terrorism, many local activists believe that the strategic location and presence of rare earths is a key source of instability in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistani military wishes to exploit the resources without sharing revenue or compensation with the locals. Pakistan has enforced an illegal and unconstitutional land reform act in Gilgit Baltistan, allowing natural resource abuse to continue. When locals demand a fair share, Pakistan denies royalties, citing the political glitch that the land remains a part of the disputed Jammu-Kashmir and therefore not eligible for constitutional and economic rights," Senge Sering, a native of Pakistan-occupied-Gilgit-Baltistan, wrote in Washington-based Global Strat View.

Sering, who now heads the Washington-based Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies (IGBS), elaborated that given that rare earth element processing and supply are concentrated in a few countries, Gilgit Baltistan's geographical location complements major global economies' efforts to diversify rare earth supply chains.

He mentioned that Tangir and the surrounding valleys of Gilgit Baltistan are a globally recognised mineralogical hotspot - abundant in monazite, chevkinite, lanthanum, samarium, praseodymium, neodymium, cerium, titanium, thorium, and other rare earth elements - and China's infrastructure upgrade initiatives are helping Pakistan develop the occupied region into a rare-earth hub at the crossroads of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

"Under the conditions, the people of Gilgit Baltistan should remain united and continue their efforts to expel the occupying Pakistani colonial overlords, who are only interested in exploiting and abusing natural riches and transit routes while denying natives their due political and constitutional rights. The persistence and fortitude will eventually help the inhabitants of Gilgit Baltistan join Ladakh as constitutional citizens of India and protect both territory and identity," he asserted.

On Thursday, Pakistani media reported that one person was killed and three others, including an Army Major, were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded near a vehicle in the Tangir valley of Diamer in PoGB.

Sering, who remains one of the most established scholars from the Pakistani-occupied region, stated that a terrorist cell linked to Commander Maulana Amir Hamza made a statement before the attack, explaining that they are from the Diamer district of Gilgit Baltistan and carry out attacks against Pakistani armed forces, including secret agencies such as ISI and MI, as well as the police.

"They claimed that the Pakistani armed forces use a divide-and-rule strategy to control Gilgit Baltistan. In a statement to Gilgit Baltistan's Shia and Sunni leaders, including Aga Rahat, the group asserted that if sectarian attacks have occurred on Aga Rahat or Qazi Nisar in the past, it is the handiwork of Pakistan's military and their agents to sow discord and division among locals. Furthermore, they claimed that Pakistan's rulers and military collude with Jewish and Christian global powers to undermine peace and stability in Pakistan. According to the spokesperson, Pakistan's armed forces have exposed themselves and risked their lives by assisting Israel in its fight against Hamas," Sering wrote in the Global Strat View.

- IANS