Gilgit-Baltistan has been on the fringe of Pakistan’s mainstream politics but its role as a gateway to China and as the mainstay of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is immense. The HRCP has in its recent report of a fact-finding mission to the region highlighted some issues that need consideration. A particular concern is about the deteriorating human rights situation there. The mission met with lawyers and political workers who particularly expressed their disappointment at being left out as successive governments have failed to integrate the region with the rest of the country. The HRCP consulted a wide spectrum of people most of whom have been demanding at least a provisional provincial status or a system of government similar to that of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Another concern that came to the fore is about the victims of the 2010 Attabad Lake disaster. The government has not yet compensated and rehabilitated all the affected people. The region has not enjoyed its full constitutional and economic rights at par with the rest of the country and this apparently is not possible unless there is some political representation of Gilgit-Baltistan in the parliament of Pakistan. There is a need to enhance public confidence in the federation and for that purpose fair and free elections in the GB region are a prerequisite. Local people have also expressed concern about fundamental rights such as freedoms of assembly and expression. There is a need for a more judicious use of anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws, which are being used loosely even in other parts of the country.
Another major concern is about the issue of State Subject Rule which the local people think is paving the way for exploitation of natural resources by external private corporations and individuals not resident in GB. There is a need for a more inclusive approach to development in the region. There is also a surge in suicide cases in various parts of the region, most of all in Ghizer where an increasing number of women are putting an end to their lives. The HRCP believes that some cases of honour killing have been labeled suicides so that the police can close their investigations. For a functioning federation it is imperative that all its federating units receive their due consideration. An appropriate allocation of resources and a sense of inclusion is what is needed.