Farhatullah warns of emergence of GB Tahaffuz Movement

ISLAMABAD: Former Senator Farhatullah Babar Tuesday warned against the emergence of Gilgit-Baltistan Tahaffuz Movement, as only coercive laws have been extended to Gilgit-Baltistan and why the human rights related laws were not extended to it.

“The people of GB pay all taxes, they are issued Pakistani CNICs and passports and also recruited in the army but were denied representation in the national parliament and the local legislative assembly was not allowed to make laws in critical areas,” he said at a seminar Tuesday organised by Shaheed Bhutto Foundation at the National Press Club Islamabad which was also addressed by human rights activist Marvi Sarmad, Amjad Hussain President PPP GB, Maulana Ataullah of JUI and speakers from Gilgit-Baltistan.

Farhatullah Babar said both physically and intellectually its people had been thrown into in a dark pit as it was neither connected to the national grid nor it had a board of secondary education. “The people of GB have been fed on false hopes, broken promises and utter lies,’ he said.

He said the people had seen through the falsehood and were asking that if rights were denied to them then why CPEC passed through it and Basha Dam project planned there. He said that the voice from the black hole of GB was not heard in Islamabad because human rights defenders like Baba Jan had been jailed for raising voice for the rights of people. He demanded withdrawal of politically motivated cases against rights activists.

He said that GB was denied autonomy even after 18th Amendment on the ground of 'disputed territory' but the 21st constitutional amendment was promptly extended for setting up of military courts. He proposed special seminars simultaneously in all provincial capitals and GB on the issue of silencing the voice of people of GB.