Prime Minister Imran Khan said yesterday his government will give provisional provincial status to a part of Kashmir, drawing condemnation from India, which has long objected to any such changes by Islamabad.
Khan’s proposal would apply to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Pakistan’s only land link to China, which is the northern part of the larger Kashmir region. Both Delhi and Islamabad have claimed all of Kashmir since gaining independence 73 years ago, and have fought two wars over the territory.
“We have made a decision to grant provisional provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan, which has long been the demand here,” Khan said in a speech in the city of Gilgit.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Shri Anurag Srivastava said Delhi “firmly rejects the attempt by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation.”
Last year India angered Pakistan by announcing changes to the status of Kashmir, taking away some of the region’s privileges. Although Pakistani officials made no link between India’s prior move and Khan’s proposals, the Pakistani action is likely to be viewed in both countries as a partial tit-for-tat response.
Both sides control parts of Kashmir, which is divided between them by a United Nations-mandated “Line of Control”. UN observers are still stationed in the region.
Kashmir has carried a vague constitutional status in both countries since 1947 to accommodate for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on the dispute.
While full details were not immediately disclosed, Khan’s proposal appears likely to bring the region closer to the status of Pakistan’s other federating provinces.
Khan said the decision was within the scope of the UNSC resolution. He gave no time-frame for its implementation. Such a move would require a constitutional amendment in Pakistan, which must be passed by two-thirds of Pakistan’s parliament.
Khan’s visit to the area comes ahead of an election for a Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, to be held on November 15. The body, created in 2009, has few powers, and the region is largely governed directly by Islamabad.
India’s foreign ministry has already objected to the election, saying Pakistan illegally occupies the territory.
Strategically located Gilgit-Baltistan, with an estimated population of 1.2 million, borders Afghanistan and China, and is at the heart of the $65 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure development plan.
Similar plans by Islamabad to adjust its status were previously shelved over concerns that it would adversely impact Pakistan’s case in the United Nations for full control over Kashmir.
Addressing the Azadi Parade ceremony in connection with the 73rd Independence Day of Gilgit-Baltistan in Gilgit yesterday, Khan said the decision to give provisional provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan would be in line with the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
He paid tribute to Gilgit Scouts and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the region and also lauded the role of Pakistan’s security forces for successfully coming through the war against terrorism and foiling attempts by the enemies to destabilise the country.
Khan alleged terrorism was being carried out in Pakistan under a plan and
a strong army was indispensable for a country to protect its sovereignty and solidarity.
The prime minister said the rule of law is vital for progress and prosperity of Pakistan and those who want to discredit Pakistan Army and judiciary “are speaking the language of enemies”.
Khan said the fact that the opposition was criticising the chiefs of Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence proved that he had appointed the right people to the posts.
“If the [opposition] is speaking against them, it means they [chiefs] are the right people,” he said, responding to the recent remarks from the opposition camp.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, in his recent speeches from London while addressing the anti-government rallies of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), alleged the military leadership orchestrated his government’s ouster in 2017 and rigged the 2018 general elections to “impose Imran Khan” on the nation.
Referring to PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq’s comments earlier this week in which he suggested that the government had released Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in capitulation, Khan said the opposition leaders were speaking the language of Indian prime minister.
“I received congratulatory messages from leaders across the globe for how Pakistan conducted itself after Pulwama and today, he [Sadiq] is saying that Pakistan acted out of fear — which was the basis of Narendra Modi’s entire election campaign.
“The entire purpose behind this is to blackmail Imran Khan so that he looks past their looted wealth and gives them an (National Reconciliation Ordinance) NRO.
“I want to tell my nation today that Imran Khan will never forgive these dacoits,” Khan vowed.
“The way in which they attacked the judiciary, the way they are trying to elevate one judge,” he said, alleging that when they who have “run away abroad” are cleared in cases, like in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills money laundering reference, then the judiciary is correct but when the verdicts are against them, then the judiciary is wrong.
“Similarly, the pressure (being applied) on the army is only so that we forgive them.”
Taking a swipe at Sadiq at home and Sharif in London, he retorted: “I will look at the state institutions myself so that powerful convicts of the country trying to blackmail are brought into the ambit of the law. You will see in the coming days whose legs shake and whose forehead sweats.”
He said he could not speak in detail about a development package for the region because of (rules governing) upcoming elections but assured the people that his government would prioritise helping the poor and people from underdeveloped areas.
The prime minister said that so far, all his focus had been on fixing the economy which was now “set in the right direction”. He added that his focus now would be on upholding the law.
The prime minister will visit the national park in Astore and review the work being done on the Diamer-Bhasha dam, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Every year on November 1, the region of Gilgit-Baltistan officially celebrates its independence from Kashmir’s Dogra family rule. Gilgit was liberated on November 1, 1947 while Baltistan was freed in 1948 as a result of a bloody freedom war.
However, the struggle to integrate the region in Pakistan continues.
Various governments in Pakistan have tried in the past to regulate the issues of GB through reforms and executive orders. Recently, the region has come under the spotlight again when the federal government announced plans to give GB provincial status.
The decision to make GB a province of Pakistan was taken about four months ago.
Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing the Azadi Parade ceremony in connection with the 73rd Independence Day of Gilgit-Baltistan in Gilgit yesterday.
