ISLAMABAD: Activists and political leaders on Tuesday stressed that residents of Gilgit-Baltistan should be given all rights or there is a risk of a movement in the region much like the Pakhtun Tahhafuz Movement.

“If all the coercive laws have been extended to GB, why can human rights laws not be extended to the region as well,” asked former senator Farhatullah Babar.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation at the National Press Club, he said that times are changing and there is more awareness, especially among the younger generation.

Marvi Sirmed, PPP GB President Syed Amjad Hussain and Maulana Ataullah of JUI and other speakers from GB addressed the seminar.

It was stressed that people of GB pay their taxes and are issued Pakistani CNICs and passports, they are also recruited in the army but are denied representation in parliament and the local legislative assembly is not allowed to make laws on critical matters.

They said the areas have been “thrown into the dark”, both literally and figuratively as it is not connected to the national grid nor does it have a board of secondary education.

Speakers said the people are seeing through the false promises they were made and are asking that if their rights are denied because it is a disputed area, then why is the China Pakistan border passing through it and why is the Bhasha Dam project planned there.

Syed Amjad Hussain said citizens of India-held Kashmir have equal rights as citizens so why should the residents of GB not have their rights.

He called for empowering the legislative assembly to legislate on all matters and representation of GB in NFC and CCI and demanded the withdrawal of politically-motivated cases against rights activists.

Maulana Ataullah said GB was denied autonomy even after the 18th Amendment as it is ‘disputed territory’ but the 21st constitutional amendment was promptly extended for setting up military courts.

He proposed conducting special seminars simultaneously in all provincial capitals and GB on the issue of silencing the voice of the region’s people by jailing its rights activists.

Speakers agreed that the proposed Empowerment Order 2018 was insulting to the people of GB because legislation powers are given to one person in Islamabad who may never even have visited the area.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2018