Pakistan rules Gilgit-Baltistan with iron grip, treats citizens as second-rate: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 5 (ANI): Pakistan rules the illegally occupied parts of Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan with an iron grip and treats its citizens as if they are second-rate, according to a report in Inside Over.
According to Inside Over, as people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan suffer from atrocities against their basic human and political rights, and it is important that the world takes note of these atrocities.
The entire Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), recently erupted in riots after the Pakistani government decided to further weaken the identity of the people by introducing the 15th amendment to the constitution.
The proposed amendments said that all financial powers will be transferred from the PoK government to Pakistan, thus practically demoting the PoK to the level of a provincial entity. This will be the Pakistani government's 24th attempt to determine the constitutional status of the region in the past 75 years.
Pakistan's economic downturn has had a profound impact on the population of the region as the costs of essential foodstuffs have increased exponentially. The shortage of grains has hit hard the people of the region who have taken to the streets to ask for essential foodstuffs, according to Inside Over.
People who have braved the sub-zero temperatures in Gilgit-Baltistan have been protesting day and night over the lack of availability of staple food items such as wheat. Hunger is rampant and children and women are the worst sufferers.
Islam Khabar recently reported that the unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan has become a matter of concern for Pakistan as the protestors have been demanding to integrate with India.
Pakistan's mainstream news media has ignored such protests in Gilgit-Baltistan, it said.
All Pakistan provinces except Punjab have some time in the past stated that they wanted to get separated from Pakistan. None have, however, desired to go with India. Gilgit-Baltistan has now demanded to get united with India, the news portal said.
According to the Islam Khabar report, it can be detrimental to Pakistan's narrative about the whole Kashmir dispute.
Though India has not responded to the developments officially, it is likely to cite these protests against Pakistan when the Kashmir dispute is discussed in global events, it said.
"India has maintained its claims on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as an integral part of India. Pakistan, on the other hand, wants the independence of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under India's control by blaming India for human atrocities," reported Islam Khabar.
The Indian government, social activists, and news media regularly highlight the issues in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir including the protests over military oppression, lack of basic rights, high inflation, unemployment, and unsustainable resource exploitation among others, the report said. (ANI)