The LOC – Raising the people’s stake in their homeland, Story of Tanveer Ahmed’s arrest by Pakistani agencies

The LOC – Raising the people’s stake in their homeland, Story of Tanveer Ahmed’s arrest by Pakistani agencies

A factual account of a citizen’s unlawful arrest, humiliation, detention, kidnap, harassment, intimidation, and torture by the Pakistan army/ISI viz a viz the territory gloriously though highly disingenuously described as Azad (free) Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).



Tanveer Ahmed



Backdrop

Creating problems related to matters of international security are not as easy as some people may assume, solving them are mammoth in proportion however. It’s also amazing that most citizens of the globe do not fully grasp the concept of freedom and less so governments, especially the most powerful. Balancing as much as interpreting the relationship between freedom and security is a prominent challenge in today’s age. For those familiar with the adage that we are born free and should exist as free citizens in this world should easily identify with the persistent human tragedy infused by the LOC (Line of Control) tinderbox dividing Kashmir. A territory that is less a dispute between two infiltrating sovereign nations viz. India and Pakistan – and more a failure of the world to recognise that each and every citizen from all parts of the erstwhile Dogra State of Jammu & Kashmir has an inherent right to map out and determine their political future.



Motivation

As an unfunded civil society activist committed by conviction to the resolution of our ‘national question’ and the formation of a democratic political structure that ensures ‘good governance’ in our part of the erstwhile territory, I embarked on an ’800km Citizenship Walk along the LOC’ on the 20th of August, aiming to interview citizens of AJK by way of a survey form comprising of 10 publicly significant questions, hitherto unexplored. This form is available for download at kashmirone.net and is open to all citizens of AJK including it’s diaspora.



Format

The idea is to walk from one end (south) of AJK to the other (north), interacting with civilians who lived close to the LOC but west of Pakistani army posts that manned it, thus avoiding land-mines as well as incorrect suspicion that I may be attempting to ‘infiltrate’ into Indian-controlled territory.



Dates and places visited



Day 1 – Saturday 20/08/11

I travelled from Rawalpindi to Sialkot with a view to beginning my journey along the international border (on public transport). Bearing in mind that Jammu is barely 18 kilometres – as the crow flies – from Sialkot, I wanted to give myself a sense of orientation of our State as a whole and the impact of ‘borders’ on our freedom to move. This took me via Chapraar and Saidpur to the Chenab River and Phagwaal before I entered our State at Manawar late in the evening. I put up for the night at a hotel in Mo-il. I had been questioned by the police as well as an army unit near the Chenab River without incident.



Day 2 – 21/08

I walked from Mo-il to Chamb and wanted to walk further to Manawar but some locals insisted that I travel with them via motorbike, I reluctantly agreed. When we returned to Chamb I was invited to a prominent local shrine known as Khairowal Durbar. It was an opportunity to interact with many people who had come from far and wide including my own district of Kotli. The spiritual head suggested that I spend the night there. I accepted his invitation. There was zero interaction with ‘authorities’ on this day.



Day 3 – 22/08

As I bade farewell to the Peer Sahaab in the morning, he instructed one of his disciples to drop me at Mo-il. This is where I begin my walk northwards aiming to reach Deva Batala. A solitary (local) soldier in plain clothes confronted me along the way, though he softened his tone once he understood what I’d set myself out to do. I had a couple of maps (one bought from a Pakistani army shop on Murree Road in 2005, the other was printed by the AJK tourism dept.), a tourist pamphlet (again courtesy of the AJK tourist department) and GPS on my mobile (which is almost useless as there is little or no network coverage). Thus, I developed a habit of asking each and every person I met along the way to confirm that I’d adopted the correct route. I come across the first army camp of my walk unwittingly and spend about 15 – 20 minutes there. After a series of polite questions and confirmation of my identity, I proceeded with my journey. Before the end of my day’s walk at Sariyaala Chapar, I encountered another army camp. Their conduct and approach was similar to the first, cordial though just slightly lengthier. I spent the rest of the day and night in nearby Kot Jamal, interviewing locals.



Day 4 – 23/08

I re-started my journey in the morning from Sariyaala Chapar and headed out to Patni. Learning from my experience of the previous day (of unwittingly coming across army camps) I decided to stick to the main road on whatever route I adopted from this point on, though remaining as close to the LOC and west of Pakistani army posts as physically possible. I encounter an army check-post about 5 kilometres before Thub, they questioned me extensively and checked my baggage thoroughly before escorting me (on public transport) to their camp at Thub. I remained in their custody before an army major decides to ring a number on one of my phones to confirm my identity. He is pleasant in manner and politely informs me that he did so without my permission. They allowed me to proceed to Patni. Though I was questioned extensively and repeatedly, matters remained cordial.



Day 5 – 24/08

Baghsar was my next destination. It was an uncomplicated though steep road with very little human habitation in between. It wasn’t until about 8 kilometres before Baghsar that I encountered my first army camp of the day. They questioned me briefly before escorting me towards their main camp at Baghsar. Incidentally, at each and every army camp/post that I came across, I made it a point of explaining that I had been questioned and cleared previously by their colleagues. I also requested on each occasion that they make a note of my ongoing route and kindly inform subsequent posts that I’m travelling with the aforementioned purpose (i.e. that of surveying the AJK public). I clearly clarified that just as the citizens of AJK who live in the cities have aspirations and grievances, similarly those who lived in what they (Pakistan army and it’s agencies) describe as ‘border areas’ deserve equal focus.



In any case – a few kilometres short of Baghsar – the soldiers escorting me meet up with a (pre-agreed) set of soldiers from the army base in Baghsar. At this point, I come across my first experience of humiliation, they tie-up my hands and despite my protestation, frog march me towards their base. As we walked through Baghsar bazaar, the sight of locals staring at me and imagining that I must be a criminal incensed me. I knew that if I was free, I would have interacted with these very people and discussed matters of our homeland. On approach to the army base, they humiliated me further by blindfolding me with a towel.



Once they sat me down in a chair, they began interrogating me with questions that I had repeatedly answered to numerous colleagues of theirs over the past few days. I made it very clear at the outset that under no circumstances was I going to answer a single question while blindfolded. My subsequent silence infuriated them and the young Pathan colonel doing the bulk of questioning threatened to shoot me. Realising that I wouldn’t relent, after about half an hour they changed their tone and manner of questioning. I didn’t respond until they removed the towel and untied my hands.



At this juncture, I re-emphasised my stance that politeness on their part will generate co-operation on my behalf and I will assist them in allaying whatever fears they may have about me. As they came across my laptop, the young colonel that threatened to shoot me asked for the password. I explained that it wasn’t possible for me to give it to him. I was after all – legally speaking – not a citizen of Pakistan and thus under no obligation to divulge personal information. However, with the aim of not giving them a reason to suspect that I had some sort of hidden agenda, I said I could co-operate to the extent of typing the password for them and allow them to look at whatever was in my laptop but in my presence. They reluctantly agreed but broke their pledge by taking it elsewhere after a while. They had to return to me when the power settings prompted re-entry of the password after a short period.



Detailed and repetitive questioning followed up until 11pm. In the meantime, they indicated that they would drive me to Bhimber before releasing me and assist in procuring some sort of ‘authority letter’ so that I wouldn’t encounter any more problems on my subsequent journey. That is not what happened. They shackled me with handcuffs and blindfolded me before embarking on a 3 hour 20 minute journey. At this juncture, I was shifted from one vehicle to another on what seemed a major highway (quite likely the GT road) and taken on another blind journey for a further 1 hour 40 minutes. I had managed to glimpse at the vehicle dashboard time on embarking as well as disembarking the first vehicle.



Day 6 – 25/08

It was just past 4:00 am when they removed my blindfold after sitting me down in a window-less room. In a similar manner to earlier in the previous day, I explained that I could not answer any questions with my hands cuffed and will not take kindly to being questioned in the manner of a suspect. Possibly taking the experience of their colleagues with me on board, they readily agreed. However, despite knowing that I had walked over 25 kilometres the previous day, been through many hours of repetitive questioning and a blind 5 hour journey, they considered it appropriate that they continue questioning me in this tired state. I put up with their antics for a while (again for the purpose of ensuring they understood me). I found it out of place that they wanted to know the names, addresses, profession and marital status of each and every member of my family. I found many other questions that they asked to be beyond their concern. I reminded them that I wasn’t a citizen of their country and was being questioned under duress. That I was too tired to answer tedious questions and would rather they be specific about what sort of information they were seeking. They even asked me about my relationship with Shafqat Ali Khan (Inqalabi) an activist of Gilgit Baltistan whom they have put on their exit-control list (ECL). Again, a matter with little connection to my ‘Citizenship Walk’.



A few questions later and yet more (repetitive) explanation that my laptop password wasn’t public property, left me mentally exhausted. They soon brought in a mattress to the hot stuffy window-less room and allowed me to lie-down and ‘rest’. Despite the exhaustion, the humidity as well as their repeated disturbance to ask me a query or two, forced me to quit trying to sleep any longer. After a couple of hours of enduring this ridiculous scenario, I stood up and said, “Right! Enough is enough. Either you explain the purpose behind what you’re doing to me, arrive at a solid conclusion or release me forthwith!” Going into a fake polite mode, they continued with their rhetoric about how lucky I was to be treated so cordially by them and the problems their country was going through etc. etc. The password issue crept up again and I felt like I was conversing with the dumbest thick-heads that had ever been born. I could not co-operate any further. If they were smart, they could crack the password themselves. Indeed, they stoutly mentioned that they could (of course, they couldn’t – yet another bluff on their part). I had given them ample opportunity to browse through the laptop but I could not do it repeatedly and indefinitely, especially as I knew that they themselves did not know what they were looking for. To sift through each and every item would take them at least a week. That’s not something I was willing to entertain.



They warned me that I would not be able to endure what they would put me through. In turn, I pointed out that I was made of far stronger stuff than they possibly imagined. I’ve worked selflessly for the enlightened progress of my people (the citizens of J & K) for the past 6 and a half years with a specific methodology and output in mind. From what I’ve gathered of them, they were part of a country that was characterised by deep divisions, widespread social injustice and deep confusion about their future. I worked in a transparent and accountable manner, they worked in a manner totally opposite. Everything I do of public interest is published on the web, I repeatedly emphasised that it was pointless interrogating me for information that was already available publicly. They used the sentiment of the noble religion of Islam to garner blind allegiance while promoting fake aims. I wanted to help solve the problems of the people of my territory by relying on our common humanity and adopting a consultative approach. Hence, my survey. Alas, they were too conditioned otherwise to understand.



They believed in muslim vs. muslim oppression for the purpose of ensuring the muslim masses continue to hate people of other religions. What I describe as follows is evidence of that.



They blindfolded (included a blind-fold as well as a black sack over my head – all subsequent blindfolds were in such manner) and hand-cuffed me once again before frog marching me to a cell hardly 4 metres by 6. Removing the blindfold, they ordered me to change into jail clothes which I wasn’t going to do. I was in no mood to take up residence, I would rather be tortured and die nobly. I began reciting passages of the Quran from memory quietly as I’d made up my mind to die rather than endure the stupidity of State interrogation. Beginning to realise that I meant everything I said, three of them entered the tiny cell, kept the gate open and forcibly removed my clothes. Now that I was in a naked state, albeit continuing to recite the Quran, they swore at me repeatedly and tried to intimidate me into donning jail cloth. As they had me pinned to the ground, one of them exclaimed that I wasn’t circumcised before stepping on my private parts with a view to inflicting pain without doing lasting damage. I continued with my Quranic recitation as they left soon after, further realising that I mean what I say. Leaving me in that naked state for what must have been at least an hour, they returned with my clothes and sheepishly suggested I put them on.



It wasn’t till the evening at about 6:15 pm that I was blind-folded and handcuffed once more, before being led out of the cell back to that original stuffy office. On this occasion, they had a Kashmiri who had some media experience to mediate between me and them. Gradually, we managed to obtain some sort of understanding and an agreement was struck at around 10:30 pm. I was to be released after sehri (roughly 24 hours after being brought there) but not before I had to sign and thumb-print a couple of papers that I hadn’t been tortured. Not true of course but I had to get out of that hell-hole. Absolving yourself of responsibility as a State cannot possibly be such a simple process.



Day 7 – 26/08

I remained blind-folded and hand-cuffed as we left in the morning. The blindfold was taken off at my request just before entering Azad Kashmir at Holaar after I complained of breathing problems, as the morning sun began to make it’s intensity felt. The handcuffs were removed just before we entered Sehnsa. I was released at the police station after some minor formalities at around 10:00 am.



Finally, what transpired was a waste of their time as well as mine. Ultimately, ignorance can be dangerous if not fatal and I still maintain a level a sympathy for those who sincerely believe in the Pakistani State. However, I will not tolerate a repetition of what happened to me in the past few days and will seek to take pre-emptive measures before I resume my ‘Citizenship Walk’ from the very place that I was originally hand-cuffed from. This requires identifying a genuine stake-holder in the Pakistani State with executive power and includes making the difference between Kashmiri and Pakistani citizens amply clear.



Note:

I wish to remind readers that the territory referred to as ‘AJK’ is de jure an independent entity, legal opinion further suggests that the UNCIP resolutions restricted Pakistan’s role to maintain the ‘sanctity’ of what was then the ceasefire line (LOC post Simla) and not what traditionally has been thought of as ‘fulfilling the responsibilities of good governance’. Subsequent Pakistani involvement dictated a gradual deepening de facto control of the territory, not least by repetitive marketing of the ‘Kashmiri liberation’ dream twinned with the supposed duty of ‘Islamic brotherhood’.



Date written: 27/11/2008



Author is a writer, broadcaster and activist working for civil society development in Pakistani administered Kashmir and can be mailed at sahaafi@gmail.com.



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sahaafi.net



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Group: Civil Society Forum – AJK



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Debate: ISI's seminar circuit - 1

Debate: ISI's seminar circuit - 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4cE-m-hAl8&feature=relmfu

Kashmiri history from 1325 to 1947

Kashmiri history from 1325 to 1947

Kashmiri history from 1325 to 1947
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJBKOMt3aYw&feature=player_detailpage

Kashmir History
www.youtube.com
A video presentation of Ancient and Modern History of Kashmir (1325 - 1947) based on historical facts

Altaf Hussain letter to Tony Blair

Altaf Hussain letter to Tony Blair
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2011/08/110829_altaf_letter_blair_rh.shtml

’الطاف حسین کا خط، خدمات اور مطالبات‘


پاکستان کے صوبہ سندھ کے سابق سینیئر وزیر اور پیپلز پارٹی کے رہنما ذوالفقار مرزا نے کراچی میں منعقدہ ایک پریس کانفرنس میں جہاں ایم کیو ایم اور وزیرِ داخلہ کو شہر کے حالات کی خرابی کا ذمہ دار قرار دیا وہیں ایک ایسے خط کا ذکر بھی کیا جس میں مبینہ طور پر متحدہ قومی موومنٹ کے قائد الطاف حسین نے برطانوی وزیراعظم سے کہا تھا کہ پاکستان کی خفیہ ایجنسی آئی ایس آئی کا خاتمہ ضروری ہے ورنہ یہ ایجنسی اسامہ اور طالبان پیدا کرتی رہے گی۔

پیر کو یہ خط پاکستان کے نجی ٹی وی چینل اے آر وائی کے ایک ٹی وی مذاکرے میں پیش کیا گیا جس میں خود ذوالفقار مرزا بھی مدعو تھے۔

پیش کیا جانے والا خط مبینہ طور پر ستمبر گیارہ کے امریکہ پر حملوں کے بعد لکھا گیا تھا۔

تئیس ستمبر سنہ دو ہزار ایک کو تحریر کیے جانے والے اس خط میں ان خدمات کا ذکر ہے جو کہ ایم کیو ایم سرانجام دے سکتی ہے اور ان کے عوض ایم کیو ایم کو کیا چاہیے کا ذکر ہے۔

اس خط کے آغاز میں کہا گیا ہے کہ ایم کیو ایم ہر قسم کی دہشت گردی، مذہبی انتہا پسندی اور تشدد کے خلاف ہے اور حقیقی جمہوریت کے حق میں ہے جبکہ خط کے اختتام میں امید ظاہر کی گئی ہے کہ اگر برطانیہ اور عالمی برادری کے لیے پاکستان کی جغرافیائی اور تجارتی اہمیت باقی ہے تو اس خط پر سنجیدگی سے غور کیا جائے گا ۔

کیا خدمات پیش کی جا سکتی ہیں

اس خط کے مطابق اگر یہ معاہدہ طے پا جاتا ہے تو پانچ روز کے نوٹس پر پاکستان کے سب سے بڑے شہر کراچی میں دہشت گردی کے خلاف عالمی برادری کے حق میں مظاہرے کیے جاسکتے ہیں۔ ان مظاہروں میں لاکھوں افراد حصہ لیں گے بشرطیکہ حکومتِ پاکستان مظاہروں کی اجازت دے۔

خط میں مزید کہا گیا ہے کہ اس قسم کا پہلا مظاہرہ چھبیس ستمبر کو کراچی میں منعقد کی جائے گی۔ (ایم کیو ایم کی اپنی ویب سائیٹ کے مطابق دہشت گردی کے خلاف اس تاریخ کو ریلی نکالی گئی تھی جس سے الطاف حسین نے خطاب کیا تھا۔)

دوسرے نمبر پر کہا گیا ہے کہ ایم کیو ایم صوبہ سندھ کے دیہاتوں اور قصبوں اور کسی حد تک پنجاب میں انسانی انٹیلیجنس مہیا کرنے کے لیے لامحدود وسائل بروئے کار لائے گا۔ ایم کیو ایم انتہا پسندوں اور طالبان سے روابط رکھنے والی تنظیموں کے ساتھ ساتھ مدارس کی بھی نگرانی کرے گی۔

تیسرے نمبر پر اس خط میں کہا گیا ہے کہ امدادی کارکنوں کے بھیس میں مخصوص گروہوں کو افغانستان بھیجا جائے گا تاکہ مغربی انٹیلیجنس ایجنسیوں کو مدد فراہم کی جاسکے۔

ایم کیو ایم کے مطالبات

ایم کیو ایم کے سربراہ کی جانب سے مبینہ طور پر لکھے گئے خط میں کہا گیا ہے کہ خدمات کے عوض ایم کیو ایم یقین دہانی چاہتی ہے کہ مندرجہ ذیل مطالبات پورے کرائے جائیں گے۔ یہ مطالبات ہمارے لیے اور پاکستان کے لیے اہم ہیں۔

پہلا مطالبہ ہے کہ ایم کیو ایم کو صوبہ سندھ میں برابر کی شرکت داری چاہیے اور وفاقی سطح پر حقیقی پارٹنر بنایا جائے۔

دوسرا مطالبہ یہ ہے کہ ایم کیو ایم کو تعلیم، روزگار، فوج اور انتظامیہ سمیت تمام شعبہ زندگی میں برابری کا حصہ ملنا چاہیے۔

تیسرے نمبر پر کہا گیا ہے کہ مقامی سطح پر پولیس میں مہاجر اور سندھی بھرتی کیے جائیں۔

چوتھا مطالبہ ہے کہ صوبوں کو مکمل خودمختاری دی جائے اور وفاق کا کنٹرول صرف دفاع، خارجہ امور اور مالی پالیسی پر ہی ہو اور ان پالیسیوں میں ہر صوبے کی برابر کی نمائندگی ہو۔

اس خط کے مطابق پانچواں اور آخری مطالبہ یہ ہے کہ پاکستان کی خفیہ ایجنسی آئی ایس آئی کو تحلیل کر دینا ضروری ہے ورنہ یہ ادارہ اسامہ بن لادن اور طالبان پیدا کرتا رہے گا۔

Zulfqar Bhutto’s letter to Iskander Mirza

Zulfqar Bhutto’s letter to Iskander Mirza
http://k4kashmir.com/?p=4901

KILLING OF LONE, MIRWAIZ’S FATHER Sajjad backs Bhat’s stand

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110111/j&k.htm#8 sajad Lone confirms who killed his father

KILLING OF LONE, MIRWAIZ’S FATHER
Sajjad backs Bhat’s stand

New Delhi, January 10
Separatist leader Sajjad Lone today threw his weight behind former Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat for his stand that "our own men" killed Mirwaiz Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone", observing that time had come for people to decide whether they were with the "murderers or the murdered."

Sajjad, son of Lone, praised Bhat for speaking the truth on the killings of the two separatist leaders and for showing the way, and said it was never late to speak the “truth.”

Bhat, who once chaired the separatist amalgam All-Parties Hurriyat Conference, recently created a flutter by saying that the two separatist leaders and his own brother were killed by “our own people” and not the security forces.

Bhat had said time had come to speak the truth about the killers of Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq, who was killed 21 years ago, Abdul Gani Lone, who was shot dead in 2002, and his own brother, Mohammad Sultan Bhat, who was murdered in 1995.

In a first-person account published in a local daily in Srinagar,Greater Kashmir, Lone recalled the events of the day when his father was killed on May 21, 2002.

He recalled that in the wee hours of May 22, 2002, when he was planning the funeral, his mother called him inside a room. "I found her behaviour strange. Her composure saddened.She asked me to retract a statement, in which I blamed the ISI for my father’s killing,which I made last night.”

Lone recalled that he had refused buckling under pressure. According to him, his mother then said she had lost her husband and did not want to lose him. “In retrospect, I don’t think I should have accused an institution of the killing. But Prof Bhat has shown the way, when he stated that it was our own people who killed Lone Sahib,” he wrote.

"Lone Sahib and Mirwaiz Sahib have left this world. We cannot bring them back. But if we do not learn any lessons from their killings, we will be doing a great disservice to the very nation whose aspirations we claim to espouse. There is nothing like a good murderer and a bad murderer..,” he wrote.

“The culture of unaccountability, impunity cultivated and nourished by a select group of intellectuals and thinkers has only emboldened the killers, who are aiming at disempowering the Kashmiri voice and coercing it into submission. It is time that the select band, decide whose side they are on--the murderer or the murdered,” he said. — PTI


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-03/india/28376916_1_hurriyat-leader-hurriyat-conference-abdul-gani-bhat
We, not India, killed 'our own people': Hurriyat leader
PTI Jan 3, 2011, 04.51pm IST
SRINAGAR: A senior Hurriyat leader has created a flutter by saying that two separatist leaders and his brother were killed by "our own people" and not security agencies, prompting J&K government to term it as a "late admission" and a call for a probe to fix responsibility.

"No police was involved (in the killings).... It was our own people who killed them," former Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat said.

He said time had come to speak the truth about the killers of Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, who were shot dead in 2002, and his own brother Mohammad Sultan Bhat, who was murdered in 1995.


--
Dr Shabir Choudhry

Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) said: "Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing to people."

Chinese mining companies moving in to control Gilgit Baltistan

Chinese mining companies moving in to control Gilgit Baltistan

Report Examines Chinese Mining Companies’ Inroads into Pakistan-Controlled Mineral-Rich Gilgit Baltistan Region, and Protests by Locals
http://nmen.org/report-examines-chinese-mining-companies-inroads-into-pakistan-controlled-mineral-rich-gilgit-baltistan-region-and-protests-by-locals/

“[In Gilgit Baltistan] More Than 100 Local Rights Defenders are Locked Up in Pakistani Jails And Face Sedition Charges for Denying Space to the Chinese and Pakistani Mining Companies”
“At a time when the distance between American and Pakistani priorities in the post-Osama period continues to grow, China is passionately vouching for Pakistan’s entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is seen as the upcoming Asian NATO. For some time now, China and Pakistan have aspired to create a regional alliance comprising the Arab countries, Central Asian Republics, Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey, and SCO could most likely help that dream come true.
“But there is more to it than meets the eye. The lynchpin connecting these countries will be Gilgit Baltistan, a disputed region rivaling Serbia in area. Although constitutionally a part of India and bordering China’s Xinjiang province, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, Gilgit Baltistan remains in Pakistani control since 1947.
“The political uncertainty owing to India’s claim to the region is especially worrisome for China, which currently depends on her southern neighbor for two reasons. First, China uses transit routes of Gilgit Baltistan to reach Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and the ports along the coastline of the Arabian Sea; and second, Chinese mining companies control the region’s much valued mineral deposits of uranium, gold, copper, marble, and precious stones.
“However, the locals continue to resist China’s ambitions. In 2008, for instance, a local person was killed when the residents of uranium-rich Gindai valley in Ghizer district clashed with Chinese miners. A Pakistani company called Mohmand Minerals met the same fate in 2010 in Nasirabad valley of Hunza district where the infamous Babajan Hunzai of Progressive Youth Front spearheads the resistance against Pakistani and Chinese expansionism.
“Today, more than 100 local rights defenders are locked up in Pakistani jails and face sedition charges for denying space to the Chinese and Pakistani mining companies in their valleys.”
“Today, Chinese Miners and Their Affiliates are Everywhere in Gilgit Baltistan, Especially in the Hunza-Nagar District, Which is Rich in Uranium”
“But the person making the headlines in local newspapers for criticizing foreign miners is Advocate Shahbaz Khan, the chairperson of Metals, Minerals, and Gems Association of Gilgit Baltistan, who has recently accused some individuals of acquiring 35 tons of certain mineral deposits from uranium-rich Karkalti village of Ghizer district, and smuggling to China.
“Shahbaz is also critical of a uranium exploration company called Mohsin Industries, which has sought partnership with the locals as well as Chinese and Korean miners. Last year, Mohsin Industries was banned for attempting to smuggle uranium outside Pakistan. However, the company has recently been awarded exploration licenses in the uranium-rich areas of Sakwar, Minawar, Pari Bangla, and Bonji, as well as parts of Shigar district and Skardo.
“Locals accuse Mohsin Industries of bypassing standard procedures to obtain licenses. Mirza Hussain, a member of the Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) from Nagar, believes that the owner of the Mohsin Industries receives special treatment due to his close links with the director general of the Federal Mineral Development Agency and Syed Mehdi Shah, who is currently the chief minister of Gilgit Baltistan. Hussain also suspects that its owner has established links with members of pro-Taliban groups such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
“Today Chinese miners and their affiliates are everywhere in Gilgit Baltistan, especially in the Hunza-Nagar district, which is rich in uranium and certain minerals used in space technology. Some areas in upper Hunza, for instance, like the Chapursan valley have become no-go areas, where the Chinese continue their work on tunnel building and mineral exploration.”
“106 Mining Licenses were Issued to the Foreigners in 2010 Alone And Another 400 Licenses Remain Under Process; Locals are Also Barred from Establishing Mineral And Metal Processing, Up-gradation And Finishing Units”
“Chinese miners have also acquired lease in Astore district to extract high quality copper. Another company digging uranium and gold in Gilgit Baltistan and coordinating with the Chinese investors is Shahzad International, which is one of the largest lease-owning foreign contractors in the region. In Rondo and Shigar districts, however, the Chinese prefer to purchase minerals and gems directly from the local wholesalers. Reports have also come of military surveillance in certain uranium-rich areas of Nagar district.
“Shahbaz was quoted recently by the weekly Bang-e-Sehar stating that foreigners are getting preferential treatment to obtain licenses, while more than 200 applications submitted by the local companies remain in cold storage in Islamabad since 2001.
“His claims are substantiated by Babajan, who states that the international mining mafia controls more than 50,000 sq. km of land in Gilgit Baltistan. He elaborates that 106 mining licenses were issued to the foreigners in 2010 alone and another 400 licenses remain under process.
”He criticizes authorities for banning local companies trading gems and metals outside Gilgit Baltistan and reserving this right for the foreigners to help them exercise absolute monopoly in the local market. Further, locals are also barred from establishing mineral and metal processing, up-gradation and finishing units. The situation encourages smuggling and sale of raw material at substandard rates, and threatens jobs and businesses of more than 20,000 locals.”
“Islamabad-Based Federal Institution Called Gilgit Baltistan Council (GBC)… has Absolute Control over Legislative Matters Pertaining to Minerals, Forests, Water Reserves, Trade”
“Abdul Hamid Khan, the chairperson of Balawaristan National Front, believes that foreign companies, especially the Chinese, refuse to share revenue from resource exploitation with the locals. He states that foreign companies don’t pay tax to the Gilgit government either, since they owe their allegiance to Islamabad-based federal institution called Gilgit Baltistan Council (GBC), which has absolute control over legislative matters pertaining to minerals, forests, water reserves, trade and transit routes, and issues mining licenses to foreigners without consulting with the Gilgit-based GBLA.
“Khan further explains that while members of GBLA are elected by the local people and somehow answerable to them, members of GBC are handpicked by the Pakistani prime minister who expects them to protect Islamabad’s interests in the disputed region…
“The outcry of local activists has encouraged some members of GBLA [Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly] to come down heavily on the ruling party. Deedar Ali, a member from Gilgit city, now wants Islamabad to award royalty to the locals over their mineral assets, give preference to the local companies during the licensing process, grant business loans on easy terms to the local miners to enhance industrial growth, and establish mineral testing labs, polytechnic college and mineral display centers in the region. Nawaz Naji, a member from Ghizer, has asked Islamabad to abolish GBC and transfer legislative powers on natural resources and trade and transit to GBLA.
“Another member from district Diamer, Gulbar Khan, revealed that the authorities in Islamabad leased an entire mountain range in the Tangir valley to a Pakistani company and the locals remain in awe over how their pastures, forests, and glaciers became property of outsiders overnight. The regional finance minister, Mohammad Ali Akhtar, also joined the chorus and admitted to the opposition members of GBLA that the locals have failed to benefit monetarily from the leases issued to foreign companies in the last two decades.”
“[Regional Legislative Assembly GBLA] Passed a Resolution on June 9 Demanding a Ban on Mining in Gilgit Baltistan; GBLA… Can Only Pass Its Suggestions to GBC and Ministry of Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan Affairs in Islamabad”
“Succumbing to public pressure, GBLA finally passed a resolution on June 9 demanding a ban on mining in Gilgit Baltistan and termed the presence of international miners a threat to the rights of the natives over their land and resources. Ironically, the GBLA, created after the promulgation of so-called self-governance and empowerment ad-hoc ordinance of 2009, lacks the authority to ban mining in Gilgit Baltistan and can only pass its suggestions to GBC and Ministry of Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan Affairs in Islamabad, which hold actual authority to undertake such actions.
“Given the situation, Manzoor Hussain, who is chairperson of Gilgit Baltistan United Movement, doubts that the resolution passed by GBLA will help limit the role of foreign miners in the region and restore rights of the natives over their resources.
“On the contrary, he believes that the ban has been proposed to limit activities of local miners, and buy some time for GBC to formulate a mining policy favoring the foreigners. He believes that the licensing fee is already too high for the locals to afford and has forced them to either abandon mining or continue without Islamabad’s approval. Manzoor added that… more than two-thirds of the mineral-rich areas have been leased out to outsiders like the Chinese…
“Engineer Amanullah, the chairperson of Gilgit Baltistan Democratic Alliance, agrees with his colleagues and calls GBLA and GBC the long arms of Islamabad to overcome such obstacles by providing legal cover and political leverage to the foreign miners. They all believe and very few in the region now doubt that Pakistani President Asif Zardari issued the so-called empowerment and self-governance ordinance of Gilgit Baltistan to provide a cover to Chinese imperialistic goals in Gilgit Baltistan…”