KASHMIR is the jugular vein of Pakistan and successive governments have maintained that the people of Kashmir must be given their right to ­self-determination. Since the accession of Gilgit-Baltistan with Pakistan in November 1947, the GB people have also raised their voice for the freedom struggle of the people of India-held Kashmir.

The Kashmiri people daily face Indian brutality in their struggle for the right to self-determination and their yearning to be free of New Delhi’s yoke.

The preferred tactic of the Indians to divert Pakistan’s attention from this main issue is to sow mistrust among the people of Pakistan and create hurdles for the government. Therefore, it is imperative that the Pakistani nation unites for the Kashmir cause.

However, it is a bitter fact that while the hearts of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan beat as one with the rest of their Pakistani brothers and sisters, the fate of GB is yet to be decided and the region should be made a province of the country.

As a Pakistani citizen hailing from GB, I fervently pray that my people enjoy the same rights and privileges as the people of other provinces.

Ghulam Muhammad Balti
Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2019