NEW DELHI, Nov 2: India has slammed the Pakistan government for giving fifth “Provisional Provincial Status” to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
In a strongly-worded press statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The Government of India firmly rejects the attempt by Pakistan to bring “material changes” to a “part of Indian territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation. We reiterate the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the so-called “Gilgit-Baltistan” are an “integral part of India by virtue of the legal, complete and irrevocable accession” of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union of India in 1947. The Government of Pakistan has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. Such attempts by Pakistan, intended to camouflage its illegal occupation, cannot hide the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom for over seven decades to the people residing in these Pakistan occupied territories. Instead of seeking to alter the status of these Indian territories, we call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.”
The MEA’s response comes after the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan declared the granting of “Provisional Provincial Status” to Gilgit-Baltistan on Sunday evening.
In an 18-minute televised address aired by Dawn, Imran Khan said, “I am glad that I am here for the second time to share this day with you and paid tributes to GB Scouts and the martyrs who gave their lives fighting for a separate Gilgit-Baltistan,” He made the announcement while attending “the celebration of the 73rd Independence Day of the region” and said he would like to visit the province on every November 1 “to celebrate the occasion” as long as he remained the Prime-Minister.
Before independence of India and Pakistan, the present Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in the British era was part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the largest princely states of India.
Though Gilgit-Baltistan is an UN-declared disputed region outside the constitutional jurisdiction of Pakistan, every year on November 1 the people of GB celebrate “independence” from the Dogra family rule over Jammu and Kashmir then. Gilgit had declared itself independent on November 1, 1947, and Baltistan a year later.
Despite protestations from India and even some from Kashmir, the people of Gilgil-Baltistan never accepted themselves to be either part of India or Pakistan and maintained an “independent status” though Pakistani map showed the region as part of its territory whose status was yet to be determined.
A portion of Gilgit-Baltistan was handed over to China after the Indo-China war in 1962, drawing China into the picture. Pakistan presently has four provinces, Punjab, Southern Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan.
Pakistan first sought to change the legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan in 2009, which earlier was called “northern regions” by adopting the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009. India has dismissed all of its moves.
India also strongly opposed Islamabad’s attempt to adjust the status of the region last month after Pakistan Supreme Court allowed the government to amend a 2018 administrative order under which the Pakistan government was authorised to hold elections to the legislative assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan. The elctions are scheduled to be held on November 15.
(Venkatesh Iyer)