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Conspiracy against NAs
intensifies
Pak Observer
Waqar Ahmed
Strategic location of the Northern Areas of Pakistan is of great
geo-political importance because it links major parts of South Asia, Central
Asia and South East Asia. The region is the backbone of our country’s
economy and trade with China entailing future partnership with the Central
Asian States.
Pakistan imports almost all kinds of items from China via Karakuram Highway.
These areas are significant in terms of natural resources containing
precious minerals such as gold, ruby, emerald, iron ore and Uranium. Water
is another major source. Pakistan’s major source of water is River Indus
which flows through this region. It was also due to the ideal strategic
location of this region that India occupied the Siachen Glacier, deputing
her forces below 50 and 60 degree freezing point peaks and compelled
Pakistan to defend its Northern Areas. Actually RAW has played key role in
the Northern Areas in organizing a number of nationalist groups such as
Gilgit-Baltistan Democratic Alliance (GBDA), Gilgit-Baltistan United
Movement (GBUM), Gilgit-Baltistan United Movement (GBUM) and particularly
Balawaristan National Front (BNF) which plays a leading role, claiming that
Chitral and Kohistan are inseparable parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, known as
Balawaristan.
India and Afghanistan with the covert support of the US have already been
creating lawlessness in various regions of Pakistan by fuelling
sectarianism. They are also converting our Northern Areas into another
volatile place where they have been exploiting grievances of sub nationalist
forces in Pakistan to achieve their secret strategic goals. RAW has become
very active in supporting the separatist elements with a view to weakening
the federation of Pakistan. So far as the Northern Areas of the country are
concerned, RAW had performed a major role in forming Balawaristan National
Front (BNF) in 1992 and has been providing it with material and financial
support including arms and ammunition. The sole aim is to promote the agenda
of an independent Republic of Balawaristan from Kohistan to Chitral and
Khunjrab to Skardu which also includes Ladakh.
New Delhi’s backing to the BNF could be judged from the fact that its leader
Abdul Hameed Khan held meetings with Emma Nicholson, the Vice Chairperson of
the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and member of the
European Parliament with the covert help of RAW. Abdul Hameed blamed
Pakistan for human rights violations in Gilgit and Baltistan, exaggerating
regional disparities which are very common in the less developed countries
due to a number of problems like lack of resources, finance, high population
growth etc.
Ms Emma Nicholson visited Islamabad in February 2008 and had meetings with
Mr. Shafaqat Inqalabi of BNF and advocate Muhammad Iqbal of Karakuram
National Movement (KNM). Both the leaders admired her favour in filing a
successful resolution in the European Parliament on Kashmir issue and
requested her to initiate a similar resolution in relation to Gilgit and
Baltistan. They also submitted details on current political, economic,
social and constitutional disparities, including alleged human rights
violations in connection with those areas to Ms. Nicholson.
Nevertheless with the guidance of Indian RAW and help of Ms. Nicholson,
so-called leaders of the Indian-held Kashmir and Balawaristan succeeded in
their nefarious designs and in April, 2008, several members of the European
Parliament expressed concern over human rights violations in Gilgit and
Baltistan, urging the Pakistan government to establish democratic
institutions and the rule of law in those areas. Apart from providing
diplomatic and political assistance to the sub nationalists elements of the
Northern Areas, Indian media also leaves no stone unturned in giving undue
coverage to the news of separatist elements of that region. In an exclusive
interview with Indian Hindu Sitah (india.indymedia.org), Mr. Abdul Hameed
Khan blamed Pakistan for many problems regarding Gilgit and Baltistan. He
demanded freedom from Pakistani occupied Balawaristan and was in favor of
political and economic integration with India.
While advocating independence, sovereignty and integrity as the main mottos
of Balawaristan, in reply to a question, he requested New Delhi for more
political, diplomatic and media help for his movement. Indian hidden hands
in the nationalist movement of the Northern Areas could be witnessed from
this self-contradictory statement of Abdul Hameed Khan. It is astonishing
that in most of the speeches or statements, he advocated total independence
of Gilgit-Baltistan (Balawaristan), but in this interview, he wanted
integration with India. So besides RAW’s physical aid, Indian media has also
been misleading the masses of the Northern Areas by promoting anti-Pakistan
struggles.
It is of particular attention that on the direction of RAW, nationalist
elements of the Northern Areas of Pakistan have been making hectic efforts
for opening of Kargil-Ladakh road. It is part of Indian conspiracy to
fulfill its covert agenda. For this purpose, refugees from Indian-held
Turtuk, Tiaqshi, Nabar and other towns of Baltistan are being exploited
through various tactics. Kargil-Ladakh Refugee Committee of Skardu has
already been formed to propagate the issue. Moreover, BNF is also mobilizing
and organizing student’s community at college and university level to
instigate the sentiments of separatism among them.
For this aim, on July 29, 2008, BNF has formally created Karakuram Students
Organization (KSO) at Karakuram University Gilgit. It also decided to form
Balwaristan National Students Org (BNSO). Being a frontline state of
American war on terror, Pakistan has become a continuous target of terrorist
attacks. It is unfortunate that while our security forces are engaged in
fighting insurgency in the Frontier Province and Balochistan where RAW and
Khad are fully supporting the separatist groups, India, with the material
support of some external powers, has become pro-active in inciting
sentiments of sub-nationalism in the Northern Areas of Pakistan.
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