Letter to UN General Secretary, Ban Ki Moon
Date: 19th August 2016
His Excellency
Mr. Ban-ki- Moon
Secretary General
United Nations
Subject: Save Vanishing Indigenous People of UN Disputed Territory
I have the honour to present some facts related to the grave Human Rights situation in the territory called Gilgit-Baltistan under Pakistan's illegal occupation. Pakistan Occupied Gilgit Baltistan(PoGB) has been neglected by UN since it had passed UNCIP resolution on 28th April 1949, which asked Pakistan to withdraw its citizens and Military within the period of 3 months. Due to this negligence on the part of UN, Pakistan got emboldened to increase its violation of UNCIP stated resolutions and committed more and more atrocities against 2 million people of Pakistan occupied Gilgit Baltistan(PoGB) on one side and raised hue and cry after sending its terrorists against the innocent people of J&K on the other. Needless to mention that the whole J&K issue including PoGB is political and not religious one.
The following are some excerpts derived from the official records of UN Security Council on Gilgit-Baltistan and Jammu & Kashmir, under the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP):
(a) “All persons (other than citizens of the State) who on or since 15 August 1947 have entered it for other than lawful purposes, shall be required to leave the State;
(b) There is no threat, coercion or intimidation, bribery or other undue influence on the voters in the plebiscite;
(c) No restrictions are placed on legitimate political activity throughout the State. There shall be freedom of press, speech and assembly and freedom of travel in the State, including freedom of lawful entry and exit;
(d) All political prisoners are released;
(e) Minorities in all parts of the State are accorded adequate protection; and
(f) There is no victimization.”
UNCIP Truce Terms also provided that “they should be without prejudice to the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the State of Jammu and Kashmir”.
UNCIP TRUCE TERMS OF 28TH April 1949
“177. Part III of the truce terms contained various general provisions:
(a) It established that “the territory evacuated by the Pakistan troops will be administered by the local authorities under the surveillance of the Commission;”
Instead of initiating an immediate withdrawal of its citizens and forces, Pakistan has settled its citizens and multiplied its military personnel in the region by thousands of times more. People of PoGB have no right of vote in 21st century.
This is the plight of UN-declared disputed Gilgit Baltistan under Pakistani illegal occupation, where political leaders are being treated as terrorists and real terrorists are actually free to torture and even kill political and religious opponents who dare not to obey the enslaving orders of the occupying forces and their intelligence agencies. Pakistani laws cannot be legitimately applied to those who are not even Pakistani citizens by international law and by Pakistan's own constitution.
There is no freedom of speech, right to peaceful political assembly, right to free travel and political activities. Nationalist political parties who do not follow ISI guidelines are not allowed to perform political activities. Issuing death threats and intimidation to politically affiliated human rights activists in the region has become a daily routine of Pakistani occupation regime.
Instead of releasing innocent detainees who have no criminal records, Pakistan arrests, tortures and imprisons hundreds of political and religious activists and awards them death sentences and life imprisonments without giving them any access to a fair and lawful judicial system (like High Court and Supreme Court). Occupation regime forces are awarded and promoted if they kill any indigenous person on religious or political basis.
Pakistan has also violated territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the State of Jammu and Kashmir by giving 2500 Sq Mile area of Shimshaal, Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan to China in 1963 to construct Karakoram Highway(KKH) for its own military benefits. Pakistan annexed areas of PoGB bordering with Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, Chitral and Kohistan. Now Pakistan has hatched conspiracy to sell out the whole Gilgit-Baltistan to China under the pretext of China Pakistan Economical Corridor (CPEC) without taking UN or the people of Gilgit Baltistan into confidence.
All the natural resources including Mines (Uranium and Gold etc.), forest and water resources and land have been snatched from the people by force and given to Pakistan citizens, Pak Army, ISI and Chinese by violating UNSC resolutions.
2 Million people of this disputed land have no way out, but expect and request Your Excellency to intervene, if Pakistani atrocities against
Indigenous people continue uncontrolled, South Asia and rest of the civilized world, eventually will have to face serious environmental and geopolitical consequences, besides human catastrophe.
BNF appeals to the UNSC, UN, and the EU to put pressure on Pakistan to end the occupation of Gilgit Baltistan and withdraw its civilians and Forces by fulfilling its obligations to UNCIP resolutions, which is the first step to establish Local Authority. The UN should also ask Pakistan to end its illegal occupation of Chitral and Shenaki Kohistan, allowing the local people to rule their motherland as their birth right.
Abdul Hamid Khan, Chairman,
Balawaristan National Front (BNF),
Head Office Majini Mahla, Gilgit,
Balawaristan (Pakistan and China Occupied Gilgit Baltistan).
Resident in Political Asylum: Brussels, Belgium.
Email: Balawaristan@gmail.com, chairmanbnf@gmail.com
Cell: 0032488409035
