"I have no doubt in my own mind that someone living in PoK is comparing their situation with someone actually living in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that how is it that people today are actually progressing there," said S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs (MEA), India on 15th May 2024.
The statement comes at the time when the area of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK – which includes the region of Gilgit-Baltistan which Pakistan has surreptitiously separated from the ambit of PoJK) witnessed violent uprisings owing to the issues surrounding political economy and freedom in the region. Pakistan has been notorious for peddling lies about the Indian region of Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. It has persistently tried to garner support on the international platforms against the removal of the Article in an effort to portray India as a “fascist” and a failing democracy. However, since the G20 summit hosted by India in Kashmir, much of Pakistan’s narratives of Indian atrocities in Kashmir were dispelled before the visiting sovereigns. Another aspect to Pakistan’s strategy to malign India by diverting the international focus to its fake narrative on Kashmir can also be attributed to its own neglect, kill and dump policies, arbitrary arrests or detainment of citizens and deprivation of human rights of people of PoJK, Gilgit Baltistan, Sindh and Balochistan through its systemic plundering of these regions.
Given the tumultuous internal situation that is embroiled in protests, uprisings, insurgent activities, political disharmony and economic instability, the current elected PM Shehbaz Shariff would be expected to pull several tricks to ameliorate the sentiments of the citizens of Pakistan.
Uprising in the “other” Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)- Blasphemy laws to hike in wheat flour prices and high electricity tariffs.
PoJK recently faced several violent clashes on May 11th 2024.
The clashes happened between the protestors associated to the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the police and Pakistan Rangers in Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Kotli.
The reason for the uprising was the rising wheat flour prices and high electricity tariffs.
In order to comprehend the factors leading to the uprisings, several underlying reasons must be addressed.
Historically and factually, the state of Pakistan has illegally occupied the area of Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian territory, covering an area of 78 000 sq km. It has also illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of the Indian territory to China. Then it further bifurcated the PoJK area into Azad Kashmir and areas of Gilgit Baltistan (GB). This created ample dissatisfaction and disenfranchisement sentiments amongst the citizens of PoJK and its neighbour India. To exacerbate the stewing hate for the occupation, the consistent plundering of resources in the region and pervasive treatment to its inhabitants has led to protests, uprisings and birth of several insurgent groups.
Pakistan’s recent decision to strengthen its Blasphemy laws (which are regarded as the second strictest in comparison to Iran) in 2023, also caused an upheaval in the GB region. In August 2023, large protests broke out in the Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region over the arrest of a Shia cleric under Pakistan’s reinforced blasphemy laws. At the time the protests came to be regarded as the largest protest ever witnessed in the region has ever seen. To add salt to the Pakistani wounds, the protesters demanded a merger with India with slogans of “Chalo, chalo Kargil chalo” being chanted at their rallies. This incident sparked the ideological conflagration of either merging with India or a complete self determination in form of an independent state with removal of the Pakistani occupation of their land.
The protests which prolonged from early 2023 to the events leading to the violent clashes between the security forces and the protesters in May 2024 revolving around inflation and fundamental rights further deteriorated the situation. However, several Pakistani sources have continued to downplay the incident by stating the protests were limited to “peripheral” or “the marginalized” areas but the impact from the incident certainly had PM Shehbaz Sharif announcing a $83 million subsidy package on May 13, to provide graded electricity tariff relief and a reduction in wheat flour prices. As a result, PoK’s ‘Prime Minister’, Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq phlegmatically assured the early implementation. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) called off the agitation post the announcement. However, even though the initiative by the Pak PM to subdue the agitation may seem as a solution at present, the underlying currents of several other issues remain yet to be addressed.
The economy of PoJK largely depends on agriculture and also on remittances received from the large Mirpuri diaspora, settled in the United Kingdom. It was reported that in 2022, the GDP of the region was approximately US $6.6 billion. However, 29 % of the population was reported to be affected by the lack of food security ad that is significantly higher than the national average of 19.9%. In terms of access to power, it is also reported that even though 94%population has access to power, only 7% of areas have been provided with the electricity.
The Chinese presence in PoJK
Under the former PM Imran Khan, Pakistan signed the pact for construction of the Pak Rs.442 billion Diamer—Bhasha dam in Gilgit Baltistan.
The signed contract was a joint venture of China Power and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the construction of the dam. This caused further inhibitions for the citizens of PoJK who foresaw this initiative leading to further Chinese imprints in their region at the hands of occupying Pakistani government, who they believe will marginalize them in their region.
For China the area of PoJK serves a vital strategic and military interest as this is the area where the CPEC starts as it enters PoJK from Xinjiang Province of China. In order to keep their stakes in the region, it is understood that the Chinese have continued to build pressure on Pakistan for the financial support it barters in exchange for its aspirations.
Additionally, Pakistan is viewed as a colonising occupier in PoJK. As such its efforts to please the dragon has been with the residents of Gilgit Baltistan objecting to the Land Reforms Act introduced by the central government. This has fuelled the insurgent activities in the area against the Chinese.
On 26th March 2024, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) orchestrated suicide attack which consumed the lives of five Chinese engineers. Several threats have been made by various insurgent and militant groups in regards to the growing number of Chinese workers in the area. The recent attacks certainly have renewed the security concerns for the Chinese and as a result some Chinese companies suspended civil works on both the Dasu and Diamer–Bhasha dam projects.
Reports of another Chinese company suspending civil works at the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project due to “security reasons” also emerged. With Pakistan’s current crippling setback with the Chinese, it was expected that the current PM’s complacency with the demands of the protesters stem from appeasing China and ensuring some level of fall back from already a government dissatisfied populous in PoJK.
Conclusion
Pakistan currently faces several anti establishment movements, protests, insurgencies, terror attacks, economic crisis and the strife for a political stability. Its steam roller approach to neutralise the democratic movements by using force and military assistance has been its perpetual bane, causing further tensions between the government and the citizens.
Also, the consistent systemic pillage of resources in conflict faced areas has only intensified the pre-existing ill sentiments of the inhabitants.
These factors can be expected to contribute to further uptick in insurgencies and attacks on the Chinese migrants and the Pakistani forces, given that no blame games on its neighbours would be a viable excuse to substantiate its own lack of administration.